A Single Spark
by TransformingTurtle
Summary: The Fullmetal Alchemist hates a lot of things: Drinking his milk, being called short, and- most importantly- reporting to his superior. After a visit to headquarters, Ed misinterprets a kind gesture from Roy as a prank and takes his anger too far. When he finds himself captured (again), Ed wonders if Mustang will still come to his rescue when they're not exactly on speaking terms.
1. Chapter 1

_WHATS THIS!? After ghosting FanFiction for two years, I've suddenly re-emerged AND with a new story! Actually, it's a story I started working on two years ago, but I'm just now getting around to posting it. A full description of my absence is posted on my profile, if you care to know what I've been up to (and will be up to)._

_Otherwise, enjoy this rather short intro for now. I have it divided up into four chapters at the moment (that are much longer). It wont be a super long story, but I do think it will be fun seeing Ed as a bit of the bad guy for once :)_

* * *

A day is usually remembered as either good or bad. Every one will experience both at some point or another, but for Ed, the experiences were not usually in his favor. Of course he knew the laws of alchemy well: To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. But in most situations, there was definitely not an equivalent exchange. Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, was determined to fix that part of his life one day, but unfortunately it wouldn't be today.

The young, blond alchemist slowly dragged his feet along the concrete path. His tired limbs ached with each step. His hair was just barely done into the usual braid. It was a walk he knew so well that he could probably find his way blindfolded. It was also his least favorite path to take, because he wasn't particularly fond of where it led. He yawned quietly and rubbed his eyes, wishing he was back in bed. In fact, he wished he could be just about anywhere right now than headed to the office so early on a Monday. He should be sleeping right now. All snuggled up in a warm blanket dreaming about, well, okay so maybe his dreams weren't always that pleasant, but he should still be asleep and thats what mattered. Obviously Colonel Mustang didn't know he had better things to do than meet with him right now. Well, unless he did know and was just trying to make his life even more miserable. He really wondered sometimes if that was Roy's personal mission in life, or if it really just came that natural to him. He scoffed at the thought. There really was no winning with that man.

He and Al were heading to Resembool on Wednesday, and they had things to take care of before then. In fact, one of the main reasons they hadn't already left was because he had been previously scheduled to turn in his report on that day. Instead, his younger brother woke him up bright and early this morning with a phone call from Hawkeye saying he needed to turn in his report from his last mission ASAP. The report he hadn't even written yet, because he was supposed to have had _two_ _more days_ to write it up. So rather than a peaceful rest, he had scrambled out of bed and quickly jotted down what he could remember in the short amount of time he had.

_That jerk just loves to change things up on me. _

Something told him this wasn't just about a stupid report. But then again, with Roy nothing was ever as it seemed. Just one more thing that infuriated Ed about him. The man acted like he knew everything about everything. He especially loved making Ed tell him what happened on his missions even though he already knew. In fact, he could probably tell Ed what he was going to do before he even did it. It all came down to two options: Roy was either an insanely good stalker, or perhaps he really was a god. But then that would be giving him way too much credit. Ed deduced that he simply could not figure out that man no matter how hard he tried, and honestly, he was tired of trying. This week was always a hard one for he and his brother. Even though he enjoyed seeing Winry and Granny, going home- or to what was left of it at least- without their true bodies made him feel like a failure. And he hated that feeling more than anything.

He glanced up at the sky for a second while waiting for a car to drive by. The weather wasn't even nice today. It was hot, even for someone who always ran around in black leather pants and two jackets. There were dark clouds everywhere, and the sun was already hidden behind them. Sure, it hadn't started raining yet, but the soreness from his ports told him that it would soon. He continued trudging along, barely greeting the soldiers he passed outside the gates to Central Command. It seemed to take forever, but that was probably because he took his sweet time to get there. Finally, he reached his superior's office. With a deep breath, he opened the door and made his way into the inner office where the Colonel would be. The usual team was there, greeting him with a soft "hello," and "good morning," but they were more quiet than normal. It was as if they wanted to say more, but held their tongues.

Normally Ed would be annoyed by their odd behavior, but today he chose to ignore it in favor of getting this whole thing over with sooner so he could go back to bed. Kicking the door open in his usual fashion, he stomped over to the desk and slammed the report down.

"Here's your stupid report. Can I go home now?"

"Fullmetal, how nice of you to obey me for once and actually get here quickly."

His superior sat behind his desk, completely unfazed at the sudden commotion. He didn't even look up at first as he spoke with that same dry tone he always used, crossing one leg over and lacing his fingers together.

Ed glared at him and crossed his arms. "And just why was it necessary to drag me out of bed this early in the morning on my day away from this place?"

"We'll get to that in a minute." Mustang grabbed the paper and began to scan over it. "Please, have a seat while I review this."

The blond breathed out an exasperated sigh before resigning to throw himself onto the couch in defeat.

"Why are your reports always so messy, Fullmetal? Is your hand so small that you can't properly grip a pen?"

"What!" You could practically see the steam rising from the teen as he clenched his fists tightly. "Why are you so infuriating!"

"Calm down, Fullmetal. You know that if you just wrote out a decent report for once, it wouldn't take me so long to read it and you'd already be on your way."

Ed seethed in anger as he watched his commanding officer taking his sweet time. A string of curses filled his mind and he was just getting ready to unload them when the man spoke first.

"Thank you." He placed the paper down and laced his fingers together again in front of him. "So, no new leads on the stone then I take it?"

The blond looked away in defeat. "No."

"Well I'll be sure to let you know if I hear of something. Where is Alphonse, by the way?"

"Um, he stayed home." By now, Ed's anger had died down just enough that he was starting to become confused. Was Roy actually trying to have a conversation with him? Since when did they ever just chat? He usually just yelled at the man for insulting him until he finally had enough and stormed out. That was how it was supposed to be. Whatever this was just felt weird and awkward.

"So, does this mean I can go now?" The younger alchemist made to stand, but Roy stopped him again.

"Hold on now. I hear you and your brother are heading to Resembool on Wednesday?"

He leaned his head back against the couch in annoyance. "I don't know why you make it sound like a question since you already know everything I do, but yes, which is why I have better things to do than sit here and talk about my personal life."

"Come on," The older man prodded. "Is coming here really that much of a nuisance? How many other soldiers have the kind of privileges you have?"

Ed scoffed at the comment. "I wouldn't call being a soldier a privilege."

"Need I remind you of the secret I keep about your brother? I'm not the bad guy here."

Ed narrowed his eyes at his superior. He hated when Roy threw his mistake in his face. As if he wasn't already plagued by nightmares every time he closed his eyes. He certainly didn't need to be reminded that it was his fault his little brother didn't have a body. Sure, maybe Roy did keep his mouth shut, but gloating about it was even worse. He closed his eyes a few seconds in order to stay calm. Ed knew he was in this position because of what he did. He hated having to answer to someone, but right now it was the only way they could figure out how to get their bodies back. Right now he had to suck it up and be a good dog for the military. He had to do it for Al.

But his patience only ran so far.

"Yeah, you're doing me a real solid, thanks. Now just tell me what you want already so I can go."

The response he got from his superior was laughing and "you really need to loosen up, kid."

As Ed grit his teeth, Roy's smile faded and a more serious look set in. He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat a little.

"So," The older man started awkwardly. "Before you go, I want to give you something."

Well, if he wasn't acting weird earlier, he definitely sounded strange now. First, he tried conversing with him about random things, and now he had something to give him? Either Mustang was finally going crazy or he was just setting up for a huge prank. And neither sounded desirable.

"Can't it wait, Colonel? I'm not in the mood for whatever this is, and I really do have things to take care of."

"Relax. It will only take a moment."

Ed watched as the man got out of his seat and walked to a cabinet near his desk. Roy's body language told him that something was definitely off. He was pretty sure he wasn't going to like this "gift."

"Mustang I swear, this better not be some kind of prank."

His superior laughed nervously, making Ed even more suspicious. "What? I wouldn't do something like that."

"Um, yes you would. You do stuff like that all the time."

"You're imagining things, Fullmetal." He unlocked it and began looking for something.

Ed couldn't explain it- maybe it was the timing of this week, maybe it was the lack of sleep- but something inside him was snapping, and all he could think about was how his superior was wasting his time for some sick sort of amusement.

"I can't believe you made me come all the way over here just to mess with me!"

This time, Roy just ignored his comment, instead mumbling to himself. "Where did I put it…oh yeah the top shelf so shorty wouldn't see it…"

There it was. Because the man couldn't go more than five minutes without pointing out his height. And it was all he needed to lose control.

"That's it! I'm not just gonna sit around and be your object of amusement!" Ed didn't even realize when he had stood up and starting pointing his finger at Roy.

"It's just a joke, Ed. Stop taking everything so seriously."

"You really couldn't careless about me, couldn't you?"

The blunt tone of Ed's voice caused Roy to pause his search for a moment, stiffening a little. "Ed...that's not…I—"

"You know I've never met anyone quite like you. So full of himself. You think you're always on top. That you've got control over everything. You're not god so I really wish you'd stop acting like it."

It was harsh. He knew it. Those words would have upset anyone, and yet his superior remained surprisingly calm. "I'm not playing games this time. Just shut up and let me—" He seemed to find what he was looking for as he reached out to grab a box.

"I bet it was all that time in Ishvall."

His hand stopped just short of touching it, frozen in place at the words of his subordinate.

At this point, Ed was running on auto pilot. He had already gone too far but he couldn't seem to stop himself. So he continued. "You killed so many people that you forgot what it was like to care. I bet you'd stab me in the back too if it somehow boosted your career. I don't want anything from you. Not now. Not ever. Al and I don't need anyone's help!"

Retracting his hand, Roy closed the cabinet and locked it back up, keeping his back turned to Ed. He spoke calmly but precisely.

"Fine, if you really want to leave that badly, then go."

He was expecting his superior to yell back. To defend himself, To do something. The lack of anything took him by surprise so much so that he suddenly found it hard to speak.

"Uh, okay.."

"In fact," Roy stated, as he slowly made his way back over to his desk to sit down, "Why don't you take the next two weeks off."

"But why—"

"Because I really don't want to see your face right now. Your dismissed. Now go."

He finally got what he wanted. Freedom, Escape. However you want to word it. Roy told him he could leave, so why was he having such a hard time moving his feet?

"Come on, Mustang, don't tell me I hurt your feelings or some—"

"I said dismissed!" The older alchemist slammed his hands down on his desk and stood up, keeping his gaze pointed down.

It was true. Roy wouldn't even look at him. Ed stared at him blankly a few seconds and, for once in his life, he didn't fight back. He didn't know what to do. So instead he did the only thing he could.

He ran.

He shut the door behind him as quickly as he left the room. Back pressed against the wall, he briefly wondered if he should go back in and try to smooth things over. But this was Roy. The bastard constantly went out of his way to aggravate him, and he just had to pick this week to do it.

He'll be fine. Ed thought. Maybe he'll even learn not to mess with me.

He pushed away from and door and started heading across the room, completely oblivious to the fact that he wasn't alone.

Havoc was the first to speak. "Hey chief." Ed nearly jumped upon realizing this, but barely glanced his way before continuing towards the door.

Then Fuery spoke up. "Hey wait, where is it?"

Then Fallman. "Yeah, how did it go?"

Almost to the door, Ed stopped. "How did what go?"

"You know, the thing Roy had for ya. The—" but thankfully Havoc caught Breda across the table shaking his head furiously at him.

"Uh nothing, never mind."

Ed hated when they did that to him. Withheld precious information from him. Normally he would have gone on a rampage about it, but with what had just taken place, he just didn't have the energy to yell at anyone.

"Okay, whatever." Was all he managed as he opened the door and stepped out.

He still didn't have a clue what they were talking about. Was the whole team in on his prank too? Fortunately he didn't have to ponder it for long before running into Hawkeye a little ways down the hall.

"Oh, hello Edward. You don't look very happy. Did it not go well?"

Now he could feel his temper returning.

Even Hawkeye knew?

"What is everyone talking about!"

"Your present."

"My...what?"

"Your birthday is Thursday, is it not?"

She said it so matter-of-factly and he felt his eyes widen a little. "How do you know that?"

The question seemed to puzzle her as she furrowed her brows. "The colonel knows all of our birthdays."

And suddenly everything was starting to make sense. The awkward small talk. Roy's nervous behavior. Is this why Mustang had called him into the office today?

"Crap…" He muttered under his breath. _Did I really just yell at my superior over a stupid present? _

"Ed. Did something happen between you two?"

"No…" He looked away, not wanting to lie to the hawk. "I gotta go."

He brushed passed her quickly before she had time to respond and continued down the hall.

If it had been anyone else. Anyone else and they would have turned back immediately to apologize. That's what should have happened. But Ed was not anyone. He was stubborn, hot headed, rude, and mostly still a kid. (Though he'd angrily disagree.) So he kept on walking towards the dorms, hoping the colonel would just forget his behavior by tomorrow. Yeah, avoiding the problem was so much better than just working it out right then.

Well, it was easier at least.

So that's what he did.

The rest of the day was uneventful- something which Ed was grateful for. They packed up their stuff and he went to bed that night convinced that the whole situation would blow over by morning.

But he couldn't have been more wrong.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey guys! I was really trying to give you an update within a week, but I was thoroughly enjoying myself at Mega-con this past weekend. You understand ;)_

_Here's a super long chapter to make up for it. Possibly my longest one to date!_

* * *

When Ed opened his eyes, it was well into the morning. It took him a few seconds to recollect the events of yesterday, but as he did, a slight uneasiness settled over him. He tried to scan the room inconspicuously to see if he could spot Alphonse before his brother noticed he was awake. He eventually found who he was looking for, but at the cost of Al raising his head from the book he was reading to greet his older brother.

"Oh, good morning, Ed. You slept in pretty late."

Ed could see his soul-fire eyes studying him, carefully articulating his next words. He knew questions were coming so he tried to beat him to it.

"We're going to Resembool today."

The armor's body language clearly showed his confusion. "Today? But don't we have to wait until Wednesday? What about your report, brother?"

"I turned it in yesterday, remember? So we're free to go whenever we want."

"Did the Colonel say that?"

Ed really wanted to let out an exasperated sigh at his younger brother for questioning him, but then he remembered Alphonse was pretty used to him making up stories about his superior.

"Yes, he did. Can we please not talk about it anymore and just get ready to go?"

The younger Elric was quiet for a moment, sparking hope in Ed that he was going to drop the subject. But he should have known that was too much to wish for. Alphonse may not have a physical body, but he still had his soul. And he could always tell when something wasn't right. He felt it that day when they tried to transmute their mother back to life, and he had been able to discern that feeling ever since. He envied that ability of his brother's, even though it caused him quite a bit of grief most of the time.

"Ed…" He started slowly. "Did something happen yesterday? You were quiet all last night and now you're acting like you're upset about something. You didn't..." He trailed off for a moment, unsure whether he should continue. "...get kicked out of the military or anything, right?"

"What? Of course not."

At least he definitely hoped not.

"Al, theres nothing to worry about. Mustang just gave us extra time off is all. That's why he called me into the office yesterday."

Well, some of that statement was true. He wasn't particularly a fan of keeping things from his brother, but he wasn't about to recount what had actually happened with Roy, either. Although, now that he was thinking about it again, Ed pondered the sincerity of his superior's words. He told him not to come back for two whole weeks. He assumed that meant he didn't have to call and update him along the way either, but that also seemed like a long time to not speak with one another. Especially with how things ended between them yesterday. He thought about it a moment. Mustang _did_ seem pretty upset, but wasn't he always upset with him for something he did? Should he really be this concerned?

_It's only time off. He probably just wants a break from me "destroying everything." He didn't kick me out. It's not like that. _

He wasn't sure who he was trying to convince, but he finally decided that the safest course of action would be to at least call and check in before they left. Yeah, then he would feel much better about going and everything would be just fine. He rubbed his eyes, hating that he was actually going to do this. He then remembered Alphonse was still in the room with him. He was being quiet again, which meant his last response must have finally given him what he needed to stop asking questions.

But the real question was, just how was he going to pull this off?

"Hey, Alphonse."

He didn't even notice his brother had gone back to reading his book until he looked up at him again. "Yes?"

"Do you think you could go and buy us tickets for this afternoon?"

"You want me to...go alone? Right now?"

"Sure. I mean the line is always so long when we buy them last minute, and plus it will give me a chance to call headquarters. Gotta check in with the Colonel before we go. We're gonna be gone a lot longer than usual, so I just want to make sure Mustang doesn't need anything else."

"Oh, okay. Is this because of your birthday?"

"Uh yeah, exactly. Guess Mustang does have a heart sometimes." He tried to laugh it off, hoping Al couldn't see that he was lying through his teeth. Be cause he really didn't need to be at odds with someone else.

One problem at a time.

"Don't worry, I promise to be completely packed and ready to go by the time you get back!" Ed tried to don his usual cheesy grin, once again hoping it would be enough to convince his younger brother.

"Alright then." He got up and walked towards the door, pausing just before he stepped out of the room. "Are you sure you're okay with going home this week?"

_No._

"Of course I am, Al. We're going to have a good time."

"Okay. Be back soon."

Ed watched his brother leave while the already present knot in his stomach seem to tighten even more. He was definitely not okay with his birthday coming up, but like he already concluded, one problem at a time.

Grabbing the phone beside his cot, he sat on the bed and dialed the number to Roy's office. He suddenly became nervous as it started to ring, and even considered hanging up. But, just a few rings in, the voice that he was practically dreading to hear answered it.

"Roy Mustang speaking."

"Uh, hey Colonel. It's Ed. I was just calling to—"

_*Click.*_

"Uh, hello? Roy?"

_Did he just hang up on me? _

"I cant believe he—that jerk!"

He called again immediately, because no one was allowed to ignore the Fullmetal Alchemist. Especially his superior. Unfortunately all he heard the second time was the phone pick up and then shut off without a greeting or anything.

Now he was angry. How dare Roy treat him like this.

"I'm not letting you off that easy, you bastard."

He dialed and re-dialed the number, confident that Roy would eventually get tired of hearing it ring and answer him.

* * *

Riza watched the scene play out for about five minutes. The phone rang. Roy picked it up off the receiver. Roy set it back down. She sighed loudly, no longer able keep quiet.

"Sir, may I ask who it is you keep hanging up on? You know if you keep doing that to the higher ups, you're never going to get a promotion."

The Flame alchemist paused his paperwork just long enough to throw a glance her way, before continuing with his work and ignoring the phone ringing altogether.

"Relax, lieutenant. It's just Fullmetal."

"Edward?…I see." Thankfully she remembered the events from yesterday before instinctively spitting out a "why?"

Something that, no doubt, would have made Roy even more upset. He wasn't particularly fond of repeating himself to begin with, and especially not after she had to practically force him to tell her what happened the first time. While she did truly sympathize with him on the matter, she still could not denote a real reason for the boy to be ignored right now.

"He could be in trouble, sir."

"Then it's his own fault."

The phone rang once more, and by now Roy didn't even look at it. He simply picked it up and began to place it back on the receiver when Hawkeye caught his hand.

"I'll take it from here, sir." That was all she needed to say for Roy to release the object to her and go back to his work.

She lifted the phone to her ear. "Hello. Colonel Roy Mustang's office."

"Finally!"

She could hear the exasperation in the boy's tone, causing her to briefly wonder if maybe he really was in trouble.

"Put that useless flame on the phone right now!"

Well if he was, he wasn't doing a good job of showing it. She didn't exactly appreciate Ed commanding her around, but she decided to let it go, given the circumstances. She quickly glanced at Roy for some sort of response, but all she got was a look that clearly said, 'There's no way in hell I'm talking to that brat right now.' She was on her own with this one.

"I'm afraid he's...busy at the moment."

"Like hell he is! I know he's ignoring me, so why don't you tell him to stop being a baby and just talk to me already!"

Riza wasn't sure if Roy could audibly hear what Ed was saying over the phone, but he quickly excused himself to use the restroom as a final means to get out of talking to the boy. The woman just sighed as she watched him exit the room.

"Hello?! Are you still there?"

Right, Edward was still on the phone.

"Hey! I said put Mustang on the—"

"Shut up and listen to me, Edward."

Her voice was calm but full of authority, and Ed complied immediately.

"Y-Yes ma'am?"

"It is very foolish to speak on a matter you do not fully understand."

The young alchemist had to ponder what she meant for a moment to fully understand her statement, but he eventually caught on that she was referring to Ishvall.

"Okay fine…I admit I might have said some stupid stuff the other day. But you know how he can be with me. He's so infuriating sometimes!"

"I am fully aware that Colonel Mustang may seem harsh and overly dramatic, but you would still be wise to remember that you are not the only one haunted by demons from the past."

Riza knew where the kid was coming from. Roy was a difficult person when he wanted to be. But difficult or not, the Colonel was still a normal human being like everyone else. He and Ed may have experienced very different events in their lives, but they were fighting the same battles on the inside.

Ed knew exactly what the lieutenant was saying without her giving away anything. He knew the bottom line, he just hadn't wanted to admit it before now. His superior was far from proud of what did during the war on Ishvall, and he himself was a jerk. The fact that Riza didn't just come out and say it herself almost made it worse. Hawkeye was not one to hold back. She was blunt and truthful to everyone- something he always admired. But if even she was speaking in riddles, it could only mean one thing. She was furious, and that kind of anger coming from Riza was never good news for the other person. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat as she continued to remain silent, unsure of how to respond but also knowing she wouldn't hang up until he did.

Finally he cleared his throat, speaking much more quietly than usual.

"I…I guess I need to apologize, don't I?"

"Yes, that is a very wise decision, Edward." And then she added a little more softly, "You do know you can trust us. We're not here to hurt you."

There it was again. The same thing Roy tried to tell him in his office yesterday. He seemed to be hearing that a lot lately from team Mustang, but he still couldn't figure out why. They weren't his family. He was way younger than the rest of them. They shouldn't care about him at all. No one should, especially Roy.

_And yet they keep saying it._

"S-Sorry" was really all he could manage at that point.

"I know."

As if on cue, Roy maneuvered his way back into the office and sat down. She didn't miss the look of disappointment on his face to find she was still on the phone with whom he could only assume was Ed.

"Why don't you come by this afternoon so you can tell the Colonel yourself."

That statement earned her an eye roll, but he still kept quiet as he went back to his work.

The alchemist on the phone quickly agreed, knowing he didn't really have a choice in the matter. They said goodbye and she hung up the phone. She took one last look at Roy as he read through the pile of papers on his desk. He had perfected the art of not showing any emotion on his face some time ago, but she still knew him well enough to see in his body language just how hurt he really was.

She had seen her fare share of an upset Roy, but it was usually over much bigger things than a child's slip of the tongue.

_He will get over it_, she concluded.

Besides, how much damage could one kid possibly do, right?

* * *

The walk to Central felt much longer than it usually did. And he had already thought that yesterday. In fact, he would have assured you then it couldn't get much worse. But no- it was definitely worse. And he should really know better by now than to think otherwise. Part of him was ready to get this over with, but he couldn't deny the part of him that almost hoped he never made it to that office. What exactly would stop that, he wasn't sure, but one can always dream right? He had to keep reminding himself why he was going to see Roy. It wasn't to start a fight. It wasn't to call him names. He was going to apologize, as excruciatingly painful that was going to be. He was determined to do this one thing, and then they could go back to hating each other for the rest of their lives. He had finally come to accept that the uneasiness he felt this morning was definitely guilt. As strange of an emotion as that was to feel towards his superior, It was apparent now that the man's motives were truly innocent, and he shouldn't have blown up at him like that. But in all honesty, how the heck was he supposed to know that? It wasn't like the great Flame Alchemist to get his youngest subordinate a gift, or even remember that it was his birthday. That man never gave a crap about him before. To Roy, he was just a ticket to a promotion.

Yeah, this was definitely his fault.

In fact, he should turn around right now and go back to the hotel for a nice, long nap.

_No, Ed, you're going to do this even if it kills you. _

He finally made it to headquarters and started down the long, dreary hall that led to Mustang's office. This particular section of the building always had a unique smell- one which he had so cleverly dubbed to the team as the 'bastardly stench.' Normally just the thought of it would make him smirk, but today he didn't seem to notice a smell at all. Even the usual hustle and bustle of officers as they attended to various matters seemed almost non-existent at the moment.

That or he just had a really hard time focusing on anything else.

He was just about to consider himself fortunate for not running into anyone he knew a long the way when none other than Alex Armstrong appeared out of nowhere to greet him.

"Edward Elric! How wonderful to see you!"

The blond cringed inwardly, knowing where this was headed. "Oh, hey Major." His voice was more quiet than usual, something Alex didn't fail to notice.

"What is the matter, my boy? Perhaps you need a hug from my magnificent muscles?" The strong-arm Alchemist flexed dramatically and reached down to pick up the younger alchemist.

Fortunately Ed was already prepared and dodged him quick enough, throwing his hands up in defense. "A-Actually I'm kind of in a hurry to meet with the Colonel, so I gotta run."

"Well he's currently in a meeting with someone else, so there's no need to rush!"

He came at him again, but Ed backed up even more. "What kind of meeting?" He didn't quite know why that made him nervous. Surely Roy had lots of meetings. "With who?"

"Hmm, just one of the placements officers, I believe. They typically handle transfers and what not. Actually, I'm not really sure why he would be meeting with him." Though he has been acting a little strange since yesterday..." He lifted a hand to his chin in reflection.

"Yeah...strange." He laughed nervously.

_Did I really piss him off enough to have me transferred?_ He unknowingly clenched his fists in trepidation.

"Is there something the matter, major Elric?"

"Uh no, it's fine. You know I think I'll just come back to see him another time…"

He turned to walk away, but misfortune struck again when he heard the brawny man call out to someone in the distance.

"Colonel Mustang! Why, Mr. Elric was just looking for you!"

"I find that hard to believe." The dark haired man deadpanned as he slowly walked up to the pair and crossed his arms. He didn't even bother making eye contact with Ed.

"But indeed he was! What was it you wanted to say, lad?"

"Nothing important, I'm sure. Roy cut in before Ed could speak. "Now, if you'll excuse me.."

By now Alex had started to catch on to the obvious tension between Roy and Ed. He cleared his throat at the uncomfortable silence. "Well perhaps I should let the two of you talk. Good to see you again, Edward." He began to walk away but Roy stopped him.

"Just a moment, Alex. Would you care to join me for lunch? I was actually on my way to the cafeteria now."

_Well...__crap_

Ed knew he was seriously screwed if his superior would actually rather have lunch with someone like Armstrong than to acknowledge his presence.

The brawny man lit up like a child at Christmas. "I would be delighted!"

"Well then, let's get going. You know they don't give us much time, and I have to get back to my office so I can do nothing for the rest of the day."

That last statement was clearly a jab at Ed, but it went completely over Alex's head as he bolted towards the food like a man on a mission. Roy started to follow suit, but before the young alchemist even realized it, he had reached out and grabbed the cuff of the man's sleeve. "Roy" he began calmly, "please, I need to—"

"You know, I really don't get you, Fullmetal." The older alchemist interrupted him before he could finish. "I've tried to figure you out. Yesterday in my office, you couldn't get away from me fast enough; and now you're standing here begging for my attention."

The blond clenched his fist in anger. "Would you just shut up and let me talk!"

"No. I said I'm going to get lunch." Roy began to walk away again while all Ed could seem to manage was staring in disbelief. "Oh, and If you can't stand to obey me, then maybe you should transfer to someone else," he called out behind him.

It was a good minute before Ed could even collect himself. He just stood there, in the middle of the hallway, staring in the direction of the man who had disappeared behind the corner a while ago now. Roy had never openly refused to talk to him before. And his comment about transferring was starting to confirm his fears that his superior might really be trying to get rid of him. Why else would he need to meet with someone who handles that sort of thing?

_But Al...he wouldn't do that to us, would he? _

Roy was many annoying things, but one thing he had managed to do was keep his mouth shut about their human transmutation attempt. That was alchemy's greatest taboo. In the eyes of the law, he and his brother were criminals. Even if they were just children when they did it, he would at least be thrown in jail, and Alphonse would become a science experiment. And neither of those could happen. For one, because his little brother was not some lab rat, and he himself would never be able to get their bodies back sitting behind bars. Mustang seemed to at least understand this one thing, but he couldn't imagine many of the other officers being just as understanding. It would jeopardize everything if he had to transfer. And he could not let that happen either.

Ed took a deep, shaky breath and turned around slowly toward his superior's office. Thankfully everyone was out to lunch when he got there. Strolling over to the couch Roy let him sleep on many times, he sat down and closed his eyes. He wasn't really sure why he thought coming here was the best course of action. Roy would still continue to ignore him after he returned.

_I'll just refuse to leave until he talks to me._ He decided. _I'll show him I can be just as stubborn. Then he'll understand. _

* * *

What seemed like half an hour had really only been about ten minutes before Ed's patience ran out and he could not sit there any longer.

"What am I doing here?" He spoke aloud. "That jerk doesn't get to go around treating me like this!"

He jumped up and kicked Roy's trash can in a child-like fit of anger. As he stood there seething, he examine the various items that had spilled out. It was mostly just papers, food wrappers, and a few writing utensils. He briefly wondered if there was something in there that could prove his theory about his superior getting rid of him, but before he could act on it, something blue in the trash caught his eye. He leaned down and shuffled the papers away from it to discover it was an Amestris military jacket.

_That's strange.._._Why would Mustang throw away his jacket? Is he really mad enough to consider leaving the military altogether?_

Or maybe he was the one asking for a transfer. Either way, it didn't make sense to throw away his coat that he always wore. That is, until Ed held the jacket up and realized it wasn't Roy's at all. In fact, it didn't look like anything an adult could wear. It looked more like the size of a child's coat.

Or something made for a really short alchemist.

He cursed at the realization and held it up to him. Sure enough, it was just his size. Except for the fact that they didn't make uniforms in his size. And also the fact that he'd refuse to wear one if they did.

He turned his attention back to the pile of papers in hopes of an explanation. There he found a piece of paper crumpled next to where the jacket had been with his name just barely visible on it.

He picked it up and began to read.

_Happy birthday, Fullmetal. _

_I know you hate the military uniform, but I had a jacket specially made for you anyway. Because even though they call you a dog of the military, you're more than that to me. You're family. So I wanted you to have this as a reminder of your extended family and know that we're always here for you. _

_ -Love Roy._

That sinking feeling in his gut from earlier- also known as guilt- had once again returned. And it was hitting him hard this time. He could feel his eyes watering, but he was too stubborn to let himself cry. Instead, he settled for cursing. Cursing Roy, because why did he have to care like that after all this time; and then himself, because only an idiot would spit in someone's face as they're trying to do something nice for them. He wondered how he could have been so stupid before. But then he remembered. There was a connection between the gift and his anger.

This whole thing had been about his birthday.

Because birthdays were fun. Exciting even. Something every child looked forward to.

Or at least they were supposed to be.

He didn't always hate his birthday. When he was a kid, he thought they were exciting and magical. But now they were just a cruel reminder of everything he's lost. Now he would just rather pretend they didn't exist at all. He knew it wasn't logical, or even fair to his friends and family. He knew he was going home to see Winry and Pinako, and he knew she was going to want to bake him an apple pie. They would all sing happy birthday to him like it was an anthem, and maybe, just maybe for a tiny moment, he would feel okay. But then he'd glance at Alphonse. His little brother. The one who was trapped in a suit of armor. It didn't matter how many birthdays Al had, he was going to stay exactly the same until they figured out how to get his body back. He would never get to enjoy a birthday cake, or an apple pie, or feel the joy of those he loves looking upon his face as they sing to him. He would just feel hollow and empty with each passing year, and that was a reminder Ed just could not bear to see.

He knew he wasn't really angry at Roy when he called him into the office yesterday. It wasn't because they were getting ready to go home and Roy was interrupting his life for his own personal pleasure. It was because he _didn__'t_ want to go home. He wanted a mission. An excuse to continue on with their every day life. And all Roy wanted to do was give him something- something which he assumed was just to humiliate him and be some kind of joke. And it fueled an emotion that a fifteen year old boy just could not possibly know how to process- guilt. But instead of showing any weakness, he let his temper take over and say whatever needed to be said to make himself feel better. And he did feel better.

For a little bit.

But now, remembering how angry Roy was at him when he left the office, and how he was refusing to speak to him even now, it was becoming more and more clear.

Roy wasn't the monster in this story. He was.

And for once, all the pride and stubbornness he held onto so dearly dissipated just long enough that he truly understood his need to make things right.

Taking off his famous red coat, he tried on the jacket Roy was supposed to have given him. It fit perfectly and, though he would never admit out loud, it was fairly comfortable too. Completely unstylish though, which is why he'd definitely never wear it in public, but that didn't matter right now. Wearing it made him feel like he really was part of a family. Family he so desperately wished that he could have. Family that he pushed away like an idiot. He wondered if it was already too late to make it right. Surely the rest of the team would hate him forever for what he did.

_Maybe I should transfer...they'd be better off without me. _

He wasn't sure how long he had been sitting there when the phone on Roy's desk abruptly rang. The sudden noise piercing through the silence made him jump up off the ground faster than he had ever done anything in his life. Afraid that someone- mainly Roy- would come in and find him like this, he scrambled out the door and took off running down the hall. He remembered there was a back way out of the giant building and he wasn't going to stop running until he found it. It was actually a fire escape, but right now he really didn't care as long as it got him out of there. There was no way he could face his superior right now. He didn't have the slightest clue where to even begin apologizing for all the trouble he'd caused. So he kept running, down the fire escape and into the small ally behind headquarters. He could get back into the city from here without being seen and find Alphonse. He would know what to do.

His little brother always knew what to do.

So he focused on that. Because thinking about anything else would push him over the edge and right now he had better things to do than have a breakdown in public. Not that anyone was currently around to see.

Or so he thought.

It was perhaps because of this that he didn't even notice he was being followed until someone practically jumped out in front of him.

"Hey kid." It was a man, dressed in all black, and holding what appeared to be a lollipop in his hand. "Wanna buy some candy?"

_Is this guy serious? _

From what Ed could see of his face, the man didn't even look to be very tough. His frame was small and his voice much too high pitched to be anything close to intimidating. He could definitely take him even without his alchemy.

"You think I'm an idiot." Ed crossed his arms as he scowled. "Do you have any idea who I am?!"

"Yeah, I do." The stranger smirked and dropped the piece of candy.

He almost missed it a second time, but a slight movement behind Ed caught the corner of his eye. He spun around quickly and kicked the shadowy figure who had been trying to sneak up on him. The force knocked him to the ground, revealing a second man dressed in black. Even though this one seemed more like the muscle of the two, he was still no match for the alchemist's auto-mail leg.

"Nice try!" Ed reached down to grab the man's collar, preparing a punch. "But you must not know that much about me if you think a stupid ambush is actually gonna wor—"

A sharp sting in his neck cut him off abruptly.

"What the?" His hand reached up to find the source of the pain, discovering a needle sticking out of the skin.

_Crap._

This was not a good sign.

He released the one man that was still lying on the ground and turned around again to find the first attacker holding out a gun in front of him. He could only assume the man shot him with some kind of tranquilizer.

"You were saying?" He mocked.

The blond growled in frustration as he tried to work his already heavy limbs to move or run or something other than standing there like a deer in the headlights.

_Come on legs! You have to move!_

It was a valiant effort, but unfortunately he only made it a few steps before they gave out on him and he toppled to the ground.

_I'm so screwed._

Where was the Flame Alchemist when he actually needed him?

"You'll stay away from me if you know what's good for you!" He thought maybe he could bluff his way out of this one, even as he tried to push himself away from the two men that were slowly walking towards him with huge smirks across their faces.

"Yeah well you don't look so tough now, kid." The thinner man continued to mock him while the brawny one just laughed. "How cute, he still thinks he can get away.

So much for bluffing. It was apparent now that they really did know who he was, and just what exactly he was capable of. Challenging him in a fight would have been one thing, but taking the easy way out made him sick to his stomach. It was a dirty trick. One that he would definitely make them pay for.

_Wait, what the hell am I doing? _

He realized he could still make a way to escape, even if he was about to loose consciousness any second. He quickly clapped his hands together and threw them on the ground as fast as he could.

But then everything went dark.

* * *

_So yeah, pretty sure I've never posted a chapter this long. Like I said, most of this story is already written. I just went back and edited and edited and- seriously- edited the crap out of it. I hope it showed. And thank you for the reviews so far! I know my writing isn't half as good as some of the stories I've seen on here, but to read that it's improved in the least is the best thing you guys could give me._


	3. Chapter 3

_Sorry for the longer update this time. I found this chapter particularly challenging to edit, so it took a while to get it to a place I was happy with. But the good news is, I have been adding so much to this story that it will be more like five chapters now._

_More to enjoy, right?_

* * *

"Colonel."

Hawkeye greeted her superior as she caught up to him in the hallway of headquarters. He was making his way back to the office with a file he had received pertaining to another crazy serial killer. Normally he would come find her during his lunch, especially if he had a case, but the Colonel had been anything but normal the past couple days. She watched as he flipped through it nonchalantly, doing his best to avoid her gaze.

"Lieutenant."

She continued to study him as he read, not failing to notice how he walked with his shoulders slightly hunched. Her superior was a very confident person, and it was usually obvious in the way he walked. With his head held high and his back fully straight, his body language alone could make him a very intimidating person when he wanted to be. That's just how he was, no matter what was bothering him. He could shake off all the negativity, all his demons, and even the nightmares. Because he was Roy. The Flame Alchemist. And he had a mission: to be come Fuhrer one day and change this country. He wanted to create a better world, and she absolutely believed he would. That's why she and the rest of the team followed him so fiercely. They could look past his dramatic flare and stubbornness, because he was making a difference, small as it may seem. Even when nobody else could see it, she could. All she needed now was to find a way to make Ed see it too.

Which, is why she was here.

"I heard Edward came by to see you today."

He merely grunted in response as he continued to read. "...hates alchemists. Well that really narrows down his next target." He sighed, turning another page.

"Sir."

"Ah, now this is interesting. Apparently he had a run-in with Fullmetal. Didn't finish the job I see…"

"Roy!"

The lieutenant hardly ever said his name out loud, and it was apparently enough to catch him off guard and finally look at her.

"...Yes" He answered slowly. "But seeing as he's on leave right now, I sent him home."

It was now Riza's turn to sigh, trying her best to stay calm. "You didn't let him talk, did you?"

It was evident she had his full attention now as he closed the file and turned to face her. "He wanted this, lieutenant. You know, contrary to popular opinion, I do actually have a job to do around here. Like this case." He waved the file in the air to stress his point. "It's just been given top priority so I don't have time to deal with Fullmetal right now."

She couldn't help but placed her hand on her hip in annoyance. He could really be so stubborn sometimes. "I'm sorry sir, but don't you think you're being just a bit childish about this?" The woman was never one to hold back what she was truly thinking. It was how she kept Roy in line when he was being unreasonable. Most of the time he was thankful for it. But the enraged expression on his face right now told her this was not one of those times.

"Childish?! The kid walks around acting like I'm a disease he'll catch if he gets too close. He disrespects everyone around here, especially me. I can't believe you're defending him."

He turned to walked away but Riza quickly grabbed his shoulder to try and stop him. "That is not my intention. It's just…well he's acted like this ever since you've known him, and it's never bothered you before. Why now? What happened in that office to make you so hurt over this?"

"It wasn't just an argument. This was something else."

"I don't understand, sir."

She truly didn't. Roy never let anything bother him this much. He was used to criticism, especially about the war. Not that he didn't struggle with it from time to time, but it was something he had learned to live with. To better himself from it. So why did one boy have such an effect on him? It worried her to seem him like this, in so much pain.

She wondered if she would ever know.

"Does he honestly believe I don't care about him or his brother?" His voice was so quiet that she had to strain to hear each word. "That everything I've done- everything I would do for him is all for my own personal gain? I mean, if I can't even convince a single child I'm not a monster, then what am I still doing here?"

And in the stillness of that moment, so suddenly and so profoundly, it all made sense.

Ed was so much more important to him then she had previously understood. Even Roy didn't seem to fully understand yet why he cared so much. All he knew was this burning desire to protect his youngest subordinate and help him achieve his goal. He knew he couldn't fail with him like he had so many other times. That's why anyone else could call him a monster and he'd easily shake it off.

Because they weren't Ed.

She couldn't help but chuckle softly at the realization that a kid could mean so much to him. "You know you sound like a father."

Immediately she felt him tense. Those were not words he liked hearing- considering he liked to frequently remind her that fatherhood was not meant for him- but it still felt like something that needed to be said. He turned to face her and crossed his arms in a pouting-like fashion.

"Okay Lieutenant, let's get something straight. Edward Elric is my subordinate. Nothing more. I just look after him because he has no one else. And I am certainly not in the market for children right now."

He then mumbled something along the lines of, "I can't even find a decent woman."

She rolled her eyes at the statement, but said nothing about it. He didn't have to say it out loud if he didn't want to. She understood what Ed meant to him now and if he wasn't ready to admit it just yet, then it was a secret she would gladly keep.

"Understood, sir."

Making no further comment about the matter, Riza couldn't help the small smile that formed as she realized how much more attractive he had just become.

* * *

When he finally regained consciousness, the first thing Ed felt was a pounding in the back of his head. It took him several seconds to understand why that was, since he didn't remember being injured beforehand. He opened his eyes to try and solve the confusion, but immediately regretted it. The light he was met with was so blinding, it almost made him nauseous enough to throw up right there.

_What happened to me? _

He went to rub his eyes and realized he couldn't. He tugged hard and found that the reason was because his wrist was tied down. He slowly opened his eyes again as dread started to fill his gut. Sure enough, there was a corse rope restraining his left wrist to a chair. More like cutting and bruising it, but that didn't concern him as much as the aching on his right. He was almost afraid to guess why, but his fears were confirmed when he looked and saw that his right arm was, in fact, gone.

They always had to take his arm.

It always made things so much more difficult for him when they did that. Which reminded him, where was he? A lot had happened recently that he needed to sort through first. Yelling at Roy. Roy getting mad. Roy refusing to talk to him. Finding the jacket…

Oh, that's right.

The gift his superior tried to give him that he basically threw in his face. Because he was an idiot. A trapped idiot, as it wound now seem.

And finally he could remember. He had run out of headquarters and was trying to get back to Alphonse when those two amateurs confronted him. Amateurs that had apparently managed to kidnapped him, despite his attempt to use alchemy against them. The continued throbbing in his head told him they must have knocked him out before he was able to do any damage. Which sucked. Because they hit him hard. He wouldn't be surprised if he had a slight concussion from the impact, given how much trouble he was having concentrating on what happened.

He wanted to move so badly. Anything to make the pressure go away. He glanced down at the rest of him to make sure there weren't any other surprise injuries. At least his leg was still intact. Instead of ropes though, they had a large chain wrapped around it. It was slightly amusing to him that they thought tying a metal leg to a wooden chair was going to ensure his inability to escape, but he needed to see what he was dealing with before he tried anything rash. Plus, the queasiness he still felt told him if he tried to make any sudden movements right now, it would not end well for him.

He would just have to wait it out in the meantime. But his waiting was cut short by the sudden awareness that he was not alone. The breathing is what tipped him off, and he wondered how he didn't notice it until now. He slowly turned to look, finding he was being carefully watched by someone standing in the shadowy corner of the room. He could tell it was a man, but different from the two that had taken him in the ally. He just stood there, watching him, making Ed wonder just how long he had been there. After several moments of awkward silence, he decided to speak up before things got any more weird.

"So, are you just going to admire me all day or come over here and tell me why I'm tied to this chair?"

He just barely caught a glimpse of the man's teeth as he flashed him a smile- the creepy kind that made his skin want to crawl.

"I finally have you." He breathed out deeply and walked closer to alchemist so that he could be clearly seen. "The Fullmetal Alchemist."

The teen couldn't help but roll his eyes at the dramatic tone of his. Really, who wasn't trying to capture him these days? "Right. And who should I make the award out to for the lamest kidnapping ever?"

"Confident as ever, I see." The man walked right up to him and without warning, threw a right hook to his jaw. "But you won't be for much longer."

Ed wasn't sure if the punch knocked something loose, but he found himself spitting out blood and swallowing back the bile that rose with the sudden impact.

Ow. Guess he wasn't a fan of sarcasm.

"Do you recognize who I am?"

The blond looked him over, finally taking in the man's appearance before responding. He was tall and burly, with brown ruffly hair. He didn't appear to be much older than Mustang, but he donned a worn expression on his face. Other than that, the blond couldn't really see anything special about him. The clothing he wore didn't give anything away, other than a single black glove on his left hand; and he couldn't make out any notable markings on his body besides a tattoo on his left arm that seemed to be written in another language.

"Uh, no. Why, did I beat you up or something? You do seem like the kind of punk I'd have to take care of."

He honestly expected another punch, but surprisingly the man only smirked in response. It was really starting to weird him out, how he could decide to attack him one second and seem so calm the next. Something about him was definitely off, but Ed couldn't quite figure out what.

"Well, I know who you are, Fullmetal. And I also know how you got those limbs." Ed shot him a quick glare as the man began to circle him. "You see, you did something you weren't supposed to do. What do the alchemist call it again? Human transmutation?" He stopped directly behind the boy, practically breathing down his neck. "Interesting, considering that's supposed to be alchemy's greatest taboo."

"Congrats." The boy said dryly. "Whats your point?"

Well then I thought, surely the hero of the people, Edward Elric, a dog of the military, would know better than to break such an important law as that."

By this point the man had his face almost directly next to his, and Ed cursed inwardly for being unable to avoid feeling the hot breath against his skin.

"I don't know where you've gotten your information from, but you know nothing about me."

"I know that your brother isn't quite what he appears to be."

The alchemist's eyes widened a fraction. He tried to keep a straight face as he felt his heart start to beat a little faster. Nobody was supposed to know about that.

"My brother is none of your business either."

All he heard was the man chuckle as he moved away and walked around to face him once again. For a quick moment, Ed pondered the possibility of his superior telling someone about their secret, but he quickly shelved it, believing that Mustang would never stoop that low- not after everything he had come to realize about him these past couple days. No, this guy must have found out another way, and probably wanted to know more about it.

"If you're just trying to get information out of me, then you might as well give up now, cause nothing you do to me will make me talk."

"I'm not here for information. I don't know how you got those metal limbs personally. But I do know someone who would care."

Once again, the boy couldn't completely hide the panic etched into his features as he struggled to understand just what exactly he was getting at.

_Who was this someone? _

His captor either didn't seem to notice the difference in Ed's body language, or just didn't care as he continued on with his speech.

"Does the Fuhrer know what you did to get here? Because I wonder how Bradley would feel about enlisting a state Alchemist who committed such an atrocious crime against nature?"

_Oh, that someone…_

The man leaned forward so that their faces were mere inches apart and spoke more quietly. "And more importantly, what interest would he have in a walking, talking suit of armor without a body?"

"Y-You…" The young alchemist's voice betrayed him as it cracked before he could finish. "You can't prove any of that."

Ed knew the risk he was taking when he joined the military. Not only did he lie to the Fuhrer of Amestris about how he lost his limbs, but he put himself right in the midst of people who would gladly use that kind of information against him if they found out. He had to do it, because he needed a way to help Al, and this creep was not going to hinder that.

"Oh but I don't have to, little boy. Your brother is proof in itself. I don't claim to be an expert in alchemy, but I know enough to know that a suit of armor moving on its own isn't normal. And I can't imagine anyone disagreeing with me on that."

The man leaned back and rested his hand against his chin in a thoughtful-like gesture.

"Now what kind of experiments will they want to do on your brother?"

"Shut up!" The blond growled

"Will it hurt him?"

"I said—"

"Kill him?"

"You stay the hell away from him!" Ed shouted as his breath staggered in his chest. He suddenly found it hard to breathe and his restricted movement wasn't helping any. "I'll never let you hurt him!"

"I already told you" He began to explain as he crossed his arms. "I'm not here to do anything to your precious brother. I just think your king deserves to know the truth."

"Then why did you bring me here?"

"I thought you'd never ask!" The man lit up suddenly and Ed realized the worst was still to come.

And it scared him to find out.

"Doesn't it bother you being called Fullmetal? I mean, the name alone indicates that more than just your right arm and left leg are fake, wouldn't you agree?"

Ed frowned at the man. "What are you getting at?"

"I don't believe the name suits you at all." He then snapped his finger as if he discovered something. Half-metal! Now that would be more accurate."

"What the heck does that have to do with anything?" The blond growled. He was really starting to grow tired of whatever game he was playing.

"I don't like inconsistencies." The man leaned down so that they were level again and grinned maliciously at the boy. "So I'm going to fix it."

The pounding of Ed's heart alerted him to the fact that he didn't like where this was going. Maybe he'd rather keep playing games after all.

"You took something from me, kid. Something precious. Something I took for granite until it was gone. I imagine you feel the same about your arm and leg." He then moved so that he was standing next to Ed. "But at least now I know how to get my revenge."

He pulled the black glove off to reveal a stub where his hand should have been. He then held it up next to the boy for him to see. "You did this to me. Cut it so deep that the doctors couldn't save it. You even managed to ruin the nerves so auto-mail was never an option."

Ed's eyes widened as his mind started to put the pieces together, but his thoughts were interrupted when the man grabbed his hair and yanked his head back. The young alchemist involuntarily gasped at the sudden movement. "By the time I'm through with you, you won't even be half a man anymore." He then laughed. "Not that you're much of one now."

Ed swallowed hard as his thoughts raced wildly. He couldn't have formed any words even if he wanted to. His golden eyes could only stare. Stare at the white ceiling above him; because if he dared to blink, the water forming in his eyes might fall, and he would not cry for that man no matter what he said.

The brown-haired man finally released his grip and circled back in front of him. "You really don't remember me, do you?"

Still reeling from the shock of his captor's words, the blond could only shake his head 'no' in reply. Ed could see the anger return in the man's eyes as he wrapped his hand around the teen's throat.

"How dare you forget!"

The blond squirmed under his grip, gasping for air. The man squeezed until Ed thought for sure he was going to loose consciousness.

_I cant die yet…not like this!_

As if his silent plea was heard, he finally felt the tight grip on his neck release.

"Fine."

As he coughed and struggled to take in the much needed oxygen, the man stepped back and began to study him again.

"You'll still suffer for what you did to me." He seemed to have calmed down now, but there was still a glimpse of anger etched into his features. "Lucky for you, you have some time to enjoy the rest of your limbs a little while longer. I've got some last minute business to take care of, but I assure you I'll be back to finish this."

He walked forward once more and grabbed the still-reeling alchemist by the chin to look him in the eyes. "And then you'll be free to go…with whatever's left of you." He flashed that same evil grin he had at the beginning and then moved to leave.

"The name's Elias, by the way. Don't forget it this time."

Ed watched as he walked away, terror filling up inside him faster than he could think. Elias stopped to whisper something to the two men that came in to guard him and then left without another word. One man took his position by the wall, close to where was tied up, while the other guarded the door.

Up until now, Ed had mostly been in shock over what Elias planned to do to him. But now that he had time to think, all his defenses came crashing down. Every time he swallowed, he was fighting back bile in his throat. In fact, he felt just as nauseous as when he first work up, and it killed him not being able to move. He hadn't even notice how panicked his breathing sounded until one of the guards sneered at him. He squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to calm himself in front of the present company.

Ed knew he had no shortage of enemies. There were some that merely wanted to hurt him. To make him suffer. Most just wanted him dead. He had made a name for himself as the people's hero, and that made a lot of criminals angry. Not to mention it made their jobs that much harder.

For the most part, the threats didn't phase him. They could torture him all they wanted and it still wouldn't compare to the hell he had already been through. In fact, _nothing_ could ever hurt him like watching his little brother's body be ripped apart, knowing it was all his fault. He wasn't scared to die either, but he still had a promise to keep to Al, and so he needed to keep on living until then. Everything else in between he could handle with ease.

But this…

What this man wanted to take from him was beyond comprehension.

He didn't want to kill him. Didn't want to torture him for some sick pleasure. He didn't even want information. He just wanted to take away his humanity. To enable him from keeping that promise. Destroy everything he had been fighting so hard to keep.

His arm and leg were somewhere in the gate, and he was determined to get them back.

But now this stranger...this sick freak of a man was planning to make it so that he could never fully restore his body. And then what? Box he and his brother up and ship them to Bradley's front porch with a note saying they performed human transmutation?

"You have no right!" His gut wrenched in pain, and he didn't even realize he had shouted out loud until both men guarding him turned to look at him. They each shot him strange looks at the sudden outburst, but seem to otherwise leave it alone.

The young alchemist closed his eyes once more, fighting back the urge to breakdown.

_This is no time to panic, Ed. Just breathe. Breathe and think of a way out already!_

One thing he knew is that there was always a way out. Or at least that's what he had convinced himself of. So he opened his eyes and began to scan the room.

He noticed the two men in the room with him were not the ones who approached him in the ally. That caused him to wonder just how many more of them were out there, and why anyone would want to work for that lunatic in the first place. The only thing he noticed in particular about these two is they were both redheads. Maybe even brothers, based on how similar they looked. Not that it mattered. They may have looked harmless enough but they did, however, carry guns. Ed was many things, but unfortunately bullet proof wasn't one of them.

Oh well. They may have taken his arm, but he still had his greatest weapon.

His mouth.

"So, uh…" He cleared his throat to get their attention. "Why do you guys even work for a sick man like him…Elias, or whatever? I mean, you know he wouldn't hesitate to kill you if I got away."

The guard closest to him said nothing, but after a few moments, the one near the door spoke up.

"Good thing that's not gonna happen."

Well that angle didn't seem to work, but maybe if he tried a different approach...

"Okay, but don't you hate living in fear everyday? Fear that if you make just one mistake, you're finished?" And what about the people who love you? Surely there has to be someone you come home to, right?"

It was quiet for a long time. Long enough that it didn't seem like either of them were going to respond. This was good news to Ed. It meant they were thinking about what he was saying, and might actually consider his next proposition.

"Okay look, you guys don't seem all that bad, so I'm gonna make you a deal. If you untie me now and let me go, I won't kill you. I'll even tell my Superior you aided in my escape. Trust me, he'll be so relieved that he'll probably give you guys whatever you want."

Even though he wasn't one hundred percent sure Roy would really be all that glad to see him, the blond knew he had to sell that last part in order for this to work. The ensuing silence he was left with made him just hopeful enough…

Until the guards slowly looked at each other and busted out laughing.

"You might as well save your breath, kid. We're not letting you go anywhere."

The disappointment on the boy's face was so evident that it made them laughed even harder. The red-headed man eventually composed himself just enough to strut over to Ed and kick him in the stomach.

"Personally I don't like you very much, Fullmetal alchemist. You think you're so tough, going around calling yourself a hero of the people. But you're just an arrogant brat like the rest of the state alchemists."

And it was then Ed could see the hate in his eyes, just like Elias had when he had talked about getting his revenge. The other man had also walked over, clearly amused by the whole scene.

"Yeah." He piped in. "It's time you learned some humility and respect."

And maybe it was because he had just had the wind knocked out of him, or because he actually believed there was some truth to what they were saying, but he found himself choking back a sob. Because he really didn't see another way out, even though he wanted so badly to believe otherwise. And if he really was trapped here, then he was completely at Elias' mercy.

After the two men had their fill of the situation, they resumed their previous positions, leaving Ed to sit there, humiliated and defeated. He couldn't even focus anymore if he wanted to. As if he hadn't already lost enough, Elias wanted to take even more away. And there was nothing he could do. So there was no point in fighting it.

He was a helpless, trapped idiot, who was going to suffer because of something he didn't even remember doing in the first place.

He couldn't help but wonder if anyone even noticed he was missing.

There was always Al, his little brother. The one person he could always count on. The one he sent away on an errand so he could have some privacy. He knew he should have never gone to Roy's office alone. He should have just let go of his pride and told his brother what happened. Then he wouldn't have gotten into this mess in the first place. And he didn't even want to think about having to face his brother after this was all over.

That is, if he didn't die here first.

He hung his head and, for the first time, he noticed blue instead of the usual trademark red. A blue military jacket. The one Roy had made for him. He was still wearing it.

_Oh no..._

The realization had him gasping out loud.

How could he have been so careless? It was understandable that he overlooked it when he first woke up, but how did he ever let himself leave Mustang's office with it on in the first place? That man was really going to want to kill him now.

But then again, if he currently had this jacket on, that could only mean his red coat was still in his superior's office. Draped over the couch. Which meant Roy would have to see it. He would know Ed had been there and would wonder why he left it. Because Ed always wore that coat, no matter the weather. Everyone knew he didn't go anywhere without it. Yes, Mustang would figure it out.

He had to.

_Unless he just doesn't care..._

He knew that was also a possibility. But at this point, how could he blame him? He yelled at him, practically spelled out his hatred for the man- which wasn't even true- and all Roy was guilty of was trying to surprise him with a gift. A freaking thoughtful gift that almost had him tears again just thinking about it. Because he did care, despite all the teasing and name-calling.

He always cared, even when Ed didn't want to see it.

_I__ really am an idiot._

He had no idea how he was going to get out of this. What if Roy really wasn't looking for him? At least he still had Alphonse. He was probably already out there searching, alone and scared. If nothing else, Al would most definitely beg the Colonel until he agreed to help, just to make him stop asking.

_Why does Mustang even have to care at all? I never said I wanted a father!_

But no matter how hard he tried to convince himself, he knew it wasn't true. He did want someone to care. He always wanted somebody to give a crap about he and his brother. He just didn't know he wanted it to be Roy.

Until now.

He thought back on everything his superior had done for him. As a complete stranger, he offered to keep a secret that would cost him his dream of becoming Fuhrer if someone ever found out. And despite the constant, annoying reminders that he was in charge, he let the boy do just about anything he wanted.

_Hell, I don't even wear a military uniform. _

Yes, that was partially due to him being too small to fit in one. But given the fact that he was wearing one right now, made especially for him, the previous excuse probably wasn't all that valid.

No matter how cold his superior may have seemed at times, he could finally see the way he looked out for him, and protected him, and had been giving Ed exactly what he wanted all along. Albeit in a confusing, really hard-to-read kind of way.

But he finally figured him out.

He didn't know what was going to happen to him here, but he knew he couldn't die before telling Roy how sorry he was. So he had to keep hoping.

He had to believe Mustang would still come for him.

* * *

When they returned to the office, Riza had resolved to let the situation be. For now anyway. She would give Ed a call later, after her superior had some time to think, and have them sort things out with each other then.

She let Roy continue to his personal office while she stayed in the main room with the others. They were all particularly quiet about the whole situation, not knowing anything more than their superior getting into a fight with Fullmetal. Which honestly happened a lot, and it wouldn't have really surprised anyone if it wasn't for the way Roy had been acting since then. Even without all the details, they could tell something was wrong. Havoc had already tried to squeeze information out of Hawkeye, but she didn't want to make either Ed or Roy seem like the bad guy. Now that she understood his connection to the boy, she knew they were going to have to figure it out on their own. She knew they would. The Colonel would come around. He just needed a little more time.

She was just about to begin working on a project with Fallman when the raven-haired man opened the door to his office and stepped out.

"Lieutenant. Would you mind coming in here for a moment?"

Something about the way he spoke was off, and the other officers noticed it too. Riza made sure to give them all looks that said not to ask any questions before standing up.

"Of course, sir."

Mustang disappeared back into the room and she followed suit, shutting the door behind her.

Once inside, she found her superior leaning against his desk as if in deep thought. She really hoped this meant that he had thought about what she said and was finally going to let the whole thing go.

"What is it, colonel?" She asked quietly, when it didn't seem like he was going to speak first.

"Over there."

He pointed to the couch, as if that was supposed to solve everything. Confused, she glanced over, noticing nothing in particular except for a red cloth draped over it. It took several seconds for her to process what it was she was looking at, but eventually she understood the object as Ed's jacket.

_That's odd…why would his jacket be here?_

It didn't make sense that the boy would leave without his signature red coat. And it wasn't just thrown down either, as if he was angry when he did it. No, it was carefully draped, like he set it down intentionally to be picked up again.

But the real question was, why didn't he?

"Riza..." he must have been thinking the same thing as he glanced at her with the same concerned look she had herself. "How long has that been there?"

* * *

_I don't know about you, but I'm really looking forward to the next couple of chapters. See you guys soon! _


	4. Chapter 4

_Still here everyone! As you know, life likes to keep things pretty exciting for me. But hey, this chapter is like 1,000 words longer than the last one! It's hard sometimes to get my writing to a place I'm happy with, but I'm super proud of how much longer each chapter has gotten. Only one more to go after this!_

* * *

He couldn't remember why he was running, or what he was running from. He just knew that his legs wouldn't stop moving.

_Safe…safe…_

He had to get somewhere safe. But where? Where was safe?

He jumped, nearly losing his footing as a bullet whizzed passed him.

_Escaped…_

That's right, he had escaped!

And so he was running, because eventually he had to run into something, or someone familiar. It felt like he had been running for hours as both legs ached with every step.

_But I can't stop moving now._

Another gun shot and familiar shouting snapped him out of his thoughts to run even faster.

When he got close enough to the city, he made a mad dash for the most public area he could find. He tried to blend in with the rest of the strangers as he slowed down his pace and walked carefully toward something.

Anything.

He knew his captors weren't far behind, but they would definitely have a hard time finding him in a crowd this size. Not to mention they probably wouldn't open fire on him with all these civilians around.

He was safe. For now.

Finally relief washed over him as he caught sight of a phone booth. He quickened his pace but kept a close eye out for the nearby enemy. Once he confirmed that they hadn't been able to spot him yet, he slipped into the booth and shut the door. For the first time in minutes, he could relax just long enough to take a much needed breath. But he wasn't in the clear yet. He grabbed the phone and dialed the only number he could think of as he knelt down out of sight.

After a few rings, someone finally picked up.

"Colonel Mustang's office."

_That voice. _

"Colonel! It's Ed. Please, I need your help!"

His superior took much longer than necessary to respond, which did nothing for the boy's anxiety right now. "Help…with what?"

"I'm being chased by some thugs. They have guns and they're in the city right now looking for me. I need backup!"

Again, the other line was silent for a moment. Then, finally, "I'm very content with where I am, thank you."

"What!" The blond quickly glanced up to make sure he hadn't been spotted yet before continuing. "Are you insane?! They're… they're going to kill me!"

"You know, Fullmetal, I distinctly remember you saying you didn't need my help, and you certainly didn't want it. So I don't see why I'm the crazy person here."

_What?_ Was this Roy trying to exact his revenge? _He can't be serious._

"But I...I always say stuff like that...you know I don't mean it. That's just what I do. I thought you had figured it out by now."

_Why is he doing this? Doesn't he see how scared I am? _

"I'll tell you what I've figured out. You can't help a person that doesn't want to be helped. Good day, Fullmetal. Oh, and good luck not dying."

"No, please don't!—"

But the man had already hung up, leaving Ed in shock over his Superior's words.

_He said he cared. He said he'd always be there for me. _

He didn't understand. Getting mad and ignoring him was one thing. He understood that much, given the jerk he had been. But this was different. His life was in danger. If there was anything that could force Roy to forgive him right now, this type of situation had to be it.

But he didn't, and now he was actually refusing to help, even though he knew…he knew Ed couldn't do this without him.

"This doesn't make sense!"

The alchemist wrapped his hands around his head in frustration. Partially because he had a splitting headache, but mostly because he didn't know what to do. He thought he had finally figured Roy out. But even after all the things he promised in that note, the man truly didn't care whether he died or not. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve before even realizing they were wet.

He really was going to have to do this alone.

This time it was shattered glass falling on him that caught his attention. He quickly threw up his hands to try and block some of the debris, but he could still feel the different shards cutting into his skin as they fell. He tried sinking as low to the ground as he possibly could, as if it would magically be enough to avoid getting killed. Unfortunately, he could still hear the familiar voices of his captors, now hovering over him to finish the job. He squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the pain to engulf him.

Did it even matter if he died here? Roy didn't seem care if he lived or not, so why should he? He drove away the only man who had ever come close to being a real father figure in his life, and now this was the consequence.

Equivalent exchange always found its way back to him no matter how much he tried to outrun it.

Hearing the final cock of the gun, he braced himself for the ensuing darkness.

But the pain was nothing like he expected.

* * *

His eyes shot open as a scream tore from his throat.

This was supposed to be the part where he died, so why did it feel like he was on fire?

He blinked a few times, trying to figure out where he was. Maybe this was Truth's version of hell and he'd finally been condemned for everything he'd done. He always wondered if such a place even existed.

But as his eyes fully focused, he begin to recognize the scenery around him. A dark, cold room, two men standing near the door, the ropes and chains tying him down, and most importantly, Elias…

The man that was going to turn his nightmare into a reality. He was right there, kneeling down in front of him. Just staring in satisfaction.

_So it was just a dream? _

He didn't even mean to fall asleep. And that's when he realized where the pain was coming from. Elias was holding a long tool in his hand with a small flame on the end. Right near his foot. A foot that was no longer secure in his black boot. It was now exposed and, even though he couldn't see the bottom of it, he could smell the burning flesh from where he sat.

The young alchemist cursed inwardly for letting himself scream. Clearly the man wanted to catch him off guard and knew he had won, based the cocky grin he was giving him.

It was a dirty trick, but when did they ever play nice?

Ed clenched his teeth, partially out of sheer pain, but also to ensure Elias didn't get another reaction from him.

Maybe this wasn't the real Hell, but it might as well have been for him.

"Enjoy your nap, shorty?"

They always had to go there.

"Don't you dare call me small!" The blond growled. I'll rip your face off."

The man chuckled- the kind of chuckle a person makes when a baby does something adorable- and it made Ed want to kill him even more. "I'll tell you what. When I'm through with you, I'll let you try all you want."

He stood up with the tool in hand and brought it uncomfortably close to Ed's face. The boy swallowed thickly but managed to keep his features straight. He knew he had to stay confident. It was part of what made him who he was, and not even a sick freak like Elias could take that away from him.

"You're not going to lay a finger on me."

"Oh?" The brunette raised an eyebrow. "How fascinating. And just how are you planning on stopping me?"

"I-I'm…I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist. My superior probably has men all over the city right now looking for me."

_At least that's what he would be doing if he didn't currently hate me…_

"Ah yes, the Flame Alchemist you mean. He can be a bothersome one for sure."

The boy watched with dread as his captor turned to a table beside him that he hadn't even noticed until now. There was a metal tray resting on it with various different blades. The man began to examine each one, as if trying to pick his favorite. Unable to watch any further, Ed closed his eyes and took a shuttering breath. The outcome was becoming more and more inevitable every second he continued to be trapped here, and he didn't know how much longer he could keep it together.

"You know, I've been watching you for some time. Waiting in the shadows to take my revenge. It took quite a bit of patience. Seems you got a lot of folk in the military looking out for you."

_I do?_

"Out there at least."

Elias held up one of the blades close to Ed's face, causing the boy to shrink back a little.

"But not here."

He hated not knowing when the man would suddenly strike. It was one thing to know exactly what was coming, but this guessing game he was being forced to play was so much worse.

"I guess what I'm saying is, no commander of yours is gonna get in the way of me taking my revenge..."

Whatever else Elias was saying, Ed never caught the end of it, because all he could think about was Roy. His thoughts were so loud they were practically screaming at him, and it was causing his head to ache even more.

_None of this makes sense! _

If Roy had always been looking out for him, why was his dream version lacking any compassion whatsoever? How was he supposed to know which Roy was the real deal? He thought he knew before his nightmare. He was convinced the colonel was coming to his rescue and would forgive him for what he'd done. But after hearing his voice over the phone like that, even if it was just in a dream...actually hearing him say that he didn't care, that he would rather let him die because of a stupid fight…It was too real. Too much like his previous assumptions of the man that he didn't know what to believe anymore.

And it hurt so much more than anything he was about to go through.

It was so distracting, in fact, that he didn't even notice Elias was still talking to him until he felt a hard slap across his face.

"Hey! You're not even listening, are you?"

That was one way to slap someone out of their thoughts. The hit was so hard it made the whole room spin for a moment.

"Well?" The man glared at him angrily. "Answer me!"

He didn't know why, but the look in Elias' eye scared him. He wanted to answer- or at least he would have considered humoring him- if he knew what the man wanted. He didn't have a clue how he was supposed to respond, but he opened his mouth anyway, expecting some sort of diplomatic answer to come out.

Instead, he heard the words "screw you," and didn't even realize he said it out loud until it was already too late. Part of him was proud that the real Ed was still in there, somewhere, fighting this monster until the very end. The other part watched in slow motion as the man's expression formed into rage, spinning around and grabbing the lighter off the tray. Before Ed could even think to prepare himself, he felt a sudden burning sensation where Elias had the flaming end pressed firmly against his arm. It melted through the fabric within seconds, piercing his skin like a knife that cut straight to the bone.

It took everything within him not to scream again as he grit his teeth and squeezed his eyes closed, writhing against the restraints. Every fiber of his being shook with agony, but he held onto whatever strength he had left to push through it. If it really was his fate to suffer here, he could at least do it with some dignity.

Even if no one was coming for him, he had to do it for himself.

After several seconds passed- though it felt much longer than that to him- the pain subsided just long enough that he dared to open his eyes. The man hadn't said a single word so far, but he was apparently happy again as he wore the same satisfactory smile from earlier.

"Maybe that will teach you some manners."

The young alchemist heavily resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Just about everyone in his life had tried to teach him better manners, including Roy Mustang. Obviously they hadn't been very successful so far, and he was pretty confident a stranger wasn't going to change that. But that wasn't a conversation he felt like having right now. Elias must have been content with the lesson though, because he turned back around to focus on the metal tray again.

Taking advantage of the moment alone, Ed decided to steal a quick glance at his arm, finding a nice-sized hole burnt into the fabric. He briefly wondered how the whole thing managed to not go up in flames, but then he remembered his captor didn't actually want him to die. He still wasn't sure how that was going to work out for him, but he'd know soon enough.

He was also suddenly reminded again that he was still wearing the military jacket Mustang had made for him. While he probably should have been more concerned about his smoldering wound, all he could think about was his superior finding him- probably dead- with the torn, bloody coat he technically stole in the first place. As much as he wanted to hate Elias right now, he was only angry with himself. Because he couldn't manage to go one day without ruining the thoughtful gesture from Roy, who probably didn't even care now, but for whatever reason it was all he could think about.

If by some miracle he actually made it out of here, this was going to be a really fun story to have to explain to the man.

The thought of it was almost distracting enough to ignore the throbbing in his arm until he heard the fire ignite once more. Unfortunately he couldn't hold back the small jump that came with it, but he was grateful the man still had his back to him at least.

"You're probably tired of playing games, aren't you?"

He turned his head just slightly to glance at Ed, who was still staring in fear.

"I mean, I am at least."

Elias held the flame close to one of the blades as he continued talking.

"To be honest, I've never really tried this before, so I'm not exactly sure how it's gonna turn out."

Ed could feel that sense of dread returning as he realized what the man was doing. It was a long, thick blade that apparently won the contest, with a sharp, jagged edge. And he was using the fire to heat it up because, right, he was actually going to try and cut his hand off...or arm...or he didn't honestly know what was going to happen; but he knew it was going to be excruciatingly painful if he did. He also knew if this happened, it would be the end of his journey to restore his body. Because if he could never be whole again, then was what the point?

Elias picked up the very hot blade and turned to face Ed once again. "Ready to get started?"

But wait. Alphonse. How was he going to help his little brother like this?

"This might sting a little."

He was letting everyone down, including himself.

_I can't let him do this!_

"P-Please..." he began to plead before he could stop himself. "You don't have to do this."

"Oh, but I think I do." He crouched beside Ed, holding the blade close enough to the boy's face that he could feel the heat coming off of it. "Still think the calvary's gonna save you?"

The alchemist lowered his head as a single tear fell. "No."

_He's not coming. He shouldn't come. _

"That's what I thought."

_I'm sorry, Al. I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise._

"You might wanna close your eyes for this."

Ed willingly obeyed. _Please forgive me, Roy! _

He screamed out just as the blade came down on his arm. "I'm sorry!"

* * *

Just as he felt the blade began to cut into his arm, the door to the small room flew open. Ed could barely make out what happened in the next few moments as he reeled from his own pain and shock. He first registered voices shouting, then a piercing noise that sounded like a gun going off, and finally what he thought was a blur of blue enter the room. He tried his hardest to focus, wanting so badly to believe he was being saved after all. But he had already experienced the false hope of escaping once, and he knew he couldn't go through that again.

He needed a sign first.

"Tell the others we found him."

_That voice…_

Ed's eyes shot in the direction of the familiar sound until they finally found their target.

It was really him. Roy Mustang.

_He came._

It was the very man he had hoped would come all along, and yet was terrified to see him in person. He didn't know if it was relief, happiness, or just pure exhaustion, but he could feel his eyes watering again, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Roy took a few steps towards him, but then paused, which is when the blond finally paid attention to what had taken place. The two men guarding the door must have been shot, because they were now lying on the ground. The only other person in the room with him was Hawkeye, making him briefly wonder where Alphonse was. But if he was part of the 'others,' then they must have split up trying to find him.

The first lieutenant took her stance just a few feet behind Mustang and pointed her gun pointed in his direction. That's when his blood ran cold as he suddenly felt something sharp against his neck.

"Ah, Colonel Mustang. You're just in time to watch the show."

Elias. How could he have forgotten about him? Ed never even noticed when the man moved from his side to stand behind him. Of course he would try to use him as a shield right now. He could feel the hot blade against his skin as an arm latched around him. It burned enough to make him uncomfortable, but it was nothing compared to his returning dread upon realizing this wasn't over.

He watched as Mustang turned to Riza. "Nobody gets in. I can handle this one."

"Yes sir."

The woman stepped just outside the opening so that the three of them were left alone. His superior boldly crept forward a few more steps, crossing his arms in annoyance.

"Who said I'm not here to kill you?"

Ed heard his captor laugh from behind, causing him to squirm against the man's hot breath. "If that's what you wanted to do, you would have killed me already."

The Flame Alchemist shot him a glare as he raised his fingers to snap. "Let him go."

"I'm not going to kill the brat." Elias lowered the blade slightly, but still kept his arm around the boy for protection. "I just want to teach him a lesson. You're his superior officer. You should know what that feels like."

Roy's hand faltered slightly, though he still kept it poised to snap. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"Come on, you used to be the talk of the town before the kid showed up."

The statement caused Ed to perk up a bit, momentarily overtaken with curiosity while Roy stared quietly. He doubted he was going to like where Elias was going with this, but it still peaked his interest to find out.

"Don't pretend like you haven't noticed." The man continued with a smirk on his lips. "You're the war hero of Ishvall. The great Flame Alchemist. Everyone should be regarding you as a god, yet all they want to do is talk about the people's new hero- the Fullmetal Alchemist."

Apparently he really liked to talk with his hand because he swung the knife around nonchalantly while he spoke, causing Ed to flinch every time it came close to hitting him.

"What's your point?" Roy questioned after a moment. The blond agreed silently, wondering the same thing too.

"My point is, now this punk is running around like he owns the place. He thinks he's so special cause he doesn't need a circle to transmute. Take his arm and leg away and he's nothing but a cripple!"

The man twisted the handle of his blade into Ed's burned wound, causing the young alchemist to shriek in surprise. He managed to hold it together for the most part, other than a slight whimper at being reminded of the two injuries on his arm. The cut on his forearm wasn't too deep, but it continued to slowly bleed as he sat there. And while the burn on his upper arm wasn't originally all that bad, irritating the wound had caused it to start bleeding as well, and he was starting to realize just how painful they were.

His golden eyes wandered to the colonels' for a moment. He was still giving the same cold stare, completely unfazed by the whole scene. The blond couldn't help the nervous feeling in his gut at the fact that Roy had yet to look him in the eyes once. If coming here for him meant he was forgiven, Ed was having a hard time seeing it. He quickly looked away in shame, scared and almost certain he could see fire behind those onyx eyes.

Finally, Roy cleared his throat, grabbing the boy's attention once more. "You know, ironically enough, I was reading your file today. You're a serial killer that turned up a year ago in Central, and Fullmetal is the one who was sent to apprehend you."

"Yeah, some job he did. You don't even want to know the things I've done since then."

Ed glanced toward the man in horror, mentally cursing himself for not bringing the psychopath in the first time. He vaguely recalled the details of the case, but he should have never let him get away. Not to mention Roy was already so pissed at him, and now he had even more to hang over his head.

This nightmare was never-ending.

"On the contrary", he heard Mustang begin to speak again. "Fullmetal saved lives that day. Do you want to know why yours was spared? He let you get away in order to save someone else. The way I see it, you should be thanking him."

Ed couldn't see his face clearly, but he could practically feel the anger radiating off his captor. "He took away my hand! Do you know how hard it is to do what I do like this? He should have killed me when he had the chance." Elias pointed the tip of the blade dangerously close to Ed's eye, making the blond jerk back on instinct. He knew all too well the temper Elias had, and he really wished Mustang would stop fueling it. But the older alchemist merely sent the man a warning.

"Stop."

The whole interaction between Roy and Elias seemed off. Ed knew the colonel could use pinpoint alchemy, so why was he just standing there listening to the man berate him like this? Just what was he waiting for?

_Did he come all this way just to watch this sick freak__ torture me__? _

"Maybe you don't know, Colonel Mustang, but this brat has committed the ultimate taboo. He's a fraud!" Elias finally removed the arm around Ed, pointing the knife at his superior instead. There's nothing special about him. He cheated to get to where he is. How can you stand for that!?"

_Just a little more…_

"What do you want me to do about it?" Roy asked dryly.

"Help me show this kid he's not above the rest of us. He turned his mother into a monster! Trapped his brother's soul in suit of armor! He's the real killer here."

Maybe Elias wasn't holding a knife to his neck anymore, but hearing those words out loud stung more than his current wounds ever could. Ed knew he screwed up. He was reminded of it every single time he looked at his little brother. But hearing someone else throw the mistake in his face never made it any easier to accept. He could no longer hold back the tears as those horrible images of his mother's deformed body flashed before him. Elias was right. He was a failure. Worthless and undeserving of life. He hurt everyone around him, including Roy.

And now, he just wanted to get this over with.

"Well? What do you say?"

The boy looked up just in time to see Elias had moved to about the same distance between he and Roy, and was now standing there, offering his knife to the man in blue.

But it wasn't his captor that had his heart suddenly pounding. His superior had a large grin on his face and was finally looking him straight in the eyes.

_Now._

And for a brief, horrifying moment, Ed genuinely wondered if Roy Mustang- his commander and the man who got him to join the military in the first place- was going to be the one to take everything away from him.

The Flame Alchemist took one step forward.

"No."

And then he snapped.

* * *

When Ed heard the sound, he instinctively closed his eyes, not even registering the words that were spoken. But he never felt anything. It wasn't until he heard Elias screaming that he finally realized what just happened.

"What have you done!"

The pained cries of his captor had him opening his eyes just in time to see the man's hand- his only hand- covered in flames. He watched as Elias released the knife he was holding and dropped to his knees, trying to get the fire out.

Just the sight of it alone made Ed sick to his stomach, but that coupled with the smell of burning flesh had him forcing bile back down his throat. This was not the time to lose it. He looked away just as quickly, trying his best to ignore the rotten stench.

The young alchemist hated violence, and everyone knew it, but there was something about the way it was executed that left him amazed at just how skilled Mustang was. This was his plan all along. Roy always had a plan. He could manipulate any situation to ensure it gave him the outcome he wanted. Perhaps this was the reason he was a master at flame alchemy. It took more than pure talent alone to perfect an element like fire. No one could manipulate flames quite like he could, and it became so obvious to Ed in this moment just how much restraint the man actually used when it came to his alchemy.

He was so mesmerized by this, in fact, that he didn't even notice his superior walking towards him until he started speaking.

"Let me correct you on a few things."

The statement had Ed's heart pounding once again, but Mustang didn't even acknowledge him as he instead knelt down in front of Elias, who was cradling his mutilated hand. The man cursed and whimpered pathetically as the Roy lifted him up by his collar.

"And then I'll finish the rest of you off."

Roy then proceeded to punch him in the gut as he released the man to fall back to his knees.

"You have no idea what he's gone through to be here."

The young blond looked up suddenly, completely taken back by the statement.

_Is he defending me?_

Roy threw another hard punch across Elias' face, knocking him over to his side. The brown haired man threw out his arm instinctively to catch himself, crying out in pain when his seared hand collided with the ground.

"You think you've won, you son of a—"

This time Roy shut him up by ramming his foot into the man's stomach.

"I'm not finished yet."

Ed watched in utter silence, having to remind himself he still needed to breathe. Watching his superior go from calm and collected to lashing out like this was a scary sight to say the least. Just what, or _who_, was Roy so angry at? And more importantly, was it going to be his turn next?

"You look so pathetic right now. Plotting your ridiculous revenge against a _child_, all because he took your hand. He should have taken your life!" Roy threw himself on top of Elias and began punching him in the face repeatedly. "Men like you don't deserve such mercy. You've murdered over and over again with no regard for their lives or the ones they care for. You're the only monster I see." The alchemist continued to punched him until his own hand was bleeding.

"That's enough!"

Ed didn't even notice the lieutenant had re-entered the room until she spoke. As if knowing her words alone wouldn't be enough, she wrapped her hand around his bloody fist tightly.

"You've made your point. He will pay for what he's done. Now let's get Edward and go."

Those onyx eyes glared at her, and Ed could visibly see him shaking in anger. The only thing Ed was sure of right now was that he wasn't sure about anything anymore, so he had no way of guessing how his superior was going to react to the order. He had seen Hawkeye calm him down many times before, but it was always over little things. This was different. He could see in Roy's eyes that he genuinely wanted to finish Elias off.

The blond anxiously held his breath for what felt like forever until the his superior finally relented.

"Fine. Get him tied up."

The lieutenant knew his hands couldn't necessarily be bound, but she would still be able to easily restrain him after the beating Roy just gave him. What really mattered is that he would no longer pose a threat to anyone.

Ed was so ready for this to be over with. Elias was never going to hurt him again. He really did want to be relieved, but seeing those dark eyes focus on him once again only terrified him instead. The colonel walked over and knelt down in front of him without a single word, beginning to undo the rope around his wrist.

If there was ever an award for the most awkward moment ever, this had to be it. He honestly didn't know if he should thank him or start begging for forgiveness right there. The only thing that helped was knowing he would finally be free of the coarse material that was rubbing his skin raw. He started to open his mouth, wishing for something meaningful to come out, but the sudden chatter over the lieutenant's radio disrupted any attempts of reconciliation.

"Copy that, lieutenant." Was all he heard Riza say, hoping she would share whatever information had just been received. Especially when he thought for sure he recognized one of the voices...

"That was Havoc, sir. He and Alphonse searched the other rooms and are retrieving Edward's arm now.

_So Al did come._

"Understood."

The lack of emotion from his superior didn't shed any more light on the situation, other than the tough time he was having getting Ed's restraints off. Eventually he gave up and decided to use alchemy instead. Normally that would have made the blond extremely uncomfortable, given everything he had just gone through; but after witnessing the colonel's incredible display of power just moments ago, he figured it best not to question it.

After the rope was released, Roy moved down to work on the chain. The metal didn't prove any more challenging against his alchemy as he was able to remove it just as quickly. Finished, he stood up and eyed his subordinate carefully. Ed assumed Mustang was taking in his condition to determine whether he required immediate medical attention. Once again, he wanted desperately to remove the tension between them, but he just wasn't sure where to begin.

It suddenly dawned on the alchemist again that he was still wearing the military coat. The supposed gift from his superior. The one he found thrown away in a trash can. And there was Roy, the person whom it was from, standing right there staring at him intently. His cheeks flushed red as he looked away in embarrassment. He could seriously die right now.

"Can you walk?"

Maybe he hadn't noticed yet? It wasn't like Roy to miss a detail like that. But then again, he wouldn't put it past him to notice and just ignore it altogether.

"Fullmetal?"

It startled him to hear that title out loud as he snapped his eyes back to the older alchemist. Roy was still the only person who consistently called him that, and he wasn't quite sure yet if he was glad to hear him say it or not. Still Unable to form any words, the blond just nodded in response.

"Let's go then."

Ed considered the awkward position he was now in, as he only had one arm to help himself up, and it wasn't exactly in the greatest condition. Not to mention he had been sitting in the same spot for hours, which only made it that much harder to get his muscles moving.

"I can't..." was about all he could spit out before thinking better of it and deciding to figure it out for himself.

Mustang seemed to catch on fast because he extended his hand just as quickly to help the blond up. Careful not to touch his wounds, he wrapped it around Ed's arm and hoisted him to his feet.

"We found it!"

Ed heard his brother's familiar voice shouting down the hallway, with what he could only assume was his arm. Now that was something he was genuinely looking forward to having back. A small grin formed upon realizing just how happy it made him to hear Al's voice again. He honestly didn't know what he would do if their secret got out. His brother was no normal human, but he was still a person, and Ed was going to do everything in his power to make him whole again. Now that Elias no longer threatened that promise, he swore nothing would ever get in the way again.

"Oh no…"

Both alchemists glanced at each other, wondering what the 'oh no' was supposed to mean, until they heard gun fire going off in the distance.

"There's more of them, sir!"

Riza quickly drew her weapon and ran just outside the doorway to help the others. Being that Alphonse had a metal body, Ed wasn't too concerned for his safety, but that wasn't case for the rest of the team, who were very much mortal.

Including Roy.

"Stay here." The man ordered immediately.

He started to chase after his lieutenant, but before Ed knew it, he was reaching out to grab the man's arm. "Wait! Please, I-I really need to—"

"We'll talk later."

As he looked into his superior's eyes, Ed could see that same fire from earlier dancing behind them. So without any protest, he let go and watched as Roy ran to help his team.

The young alchemist never felt so useless. There he was, hero of the people, having to be saved by someone who was obviously still angry with him. And now that same someone was having to protect the others from being killed, and it was all his fault. If anything happened to them, he would never forgive himself. More gun fire opened up, and he heard that familiar snap just before feeling the explosion which followed. Apparently Roy wasn't taking any chances.

And for that matter, neither was he. Ed realized his current position wasn't very discreet as he stood right in the line of the doorway. If anyone got through, he would be completely unprotected. Of course, if someone did get through, that would mean worse case scenario for everyone outside, but it didn't mean he had to keep standing there like an idiot. Not to mention he really wanted to put as much distance between he and Elias, who was still lying on the other side of the room. It didn't seem like Riza was able to fully tie him up, but at least he was unconscious. Ed had been trying to just ignore his presence, but now that he was alone it was kind of hard to look past the body lying next to the other two men. Just the sight of it alone made him way more nervous than he cared to admit, but he knew Roy and the others were right outside. They were here to protect him. He was safe. But safe didn't mean he had to keep staring at them, he concluded, as he turned to face the opposite wall instead.

Another explosion had that whole section of the building shaking, and Ed had to use the wall as support to keep him balanced. It was hard enough learning how to stay upright with a heavy automail arm, but take it away entirely and was tripping over himself all over again. Once the tremors stopped, he noticed the gun fire stopped as well. Ed held his breath as he waited to hear signs of their victory. Could this finally be the end of his nightmare in this place?

Eventually he heard his brother's voice among the others and, for the first time since he had been captured, he could breathe a sigh of relief. He closed his eyes, knowing it was really over this time. He would get to make things right with Roy after all.

"Y-You're not g-getting off that e-easily."

Ed's eyes shot open.

_What the hell?_

That voice…He shouldn't be hearing that man's voice right now. Was he just imagining things?

Ed slowly turned to look, horror filling his lungs once more. When his eyes found the source, the sight left him gasping.

Elias was still lying on the ground, but no longer unconscious as he held a gun in his hand, raised to shoot at the alchemist.

"See y-you in hell."

Ed squeezed his eyes shut and threw his arm up in defense. After surviving all this, his nightmare would still come true after all. He braced himself when he heard the loud bang, but once again he felt nothing. Instead, he heard a thud, a second gun shot, and something that sounded like a grunt. He slowly opened his eyes, scared to believe he had managed to cheat death once more.

But what he saw was just as terrifying.

His superior, Roy Mustang, was lying on the ground with a bullet in his chest.

The man he thought hated his guts had just taken a bullet for him.

Out of the corner of his eye, He saw Riza lower her own gun, clearly stunned by the event as well. She must have fired the second shot, ending Elias' life for good, but it wasn't fast enough to stop him from pulling the trigger.

And then there was Roy, who somehow heard Elias' threats, and reacted quickly enough to throw himself into the path of the bullet.

For him.

The screw-up alchemist who pushed away everyone who cared about him.

It was all he needed to brush off the immediate shock and rush to his superior's side. The older alchemist already had his hand placed over the wound as he breathed heavily.

"Oh god, Roy. Please, no!" The young boy placed his own hand on top of the man's to help slow the bleeding. "Just stay with me, Colonel!" There was a thick desperation in his voice as he continued pleading with Roy to stay alive.

The wounded alchemist coughed as he struggled to speak. "E-Ed."

"Don't speak, okay? Just hold on." The boy looked around frantically to see where the others were. He quickly caught sight of the first lieutenant calling for an ambulance and taking off her jacket to come help. Thank goodness she was such a quick thinker. He looked back at Roy, who had already grown pale, pressing even harder.

_Please don't leave me. _

Ed nearly jumped in surprise when he felt something squeeze his arm. His superior was holding onto him, staring deeply into those golden eyes. "I…"

"Please Roy," he begged the man. "Save your breath."

But the raven-haired man was unrelenting. He squeezed tighter.

"I...f-forgive...you."

He then closed his eyes and slipped into unconsciousness, unaware of the tears in his subordinate's eyes as he screamed his name.

* * *

_So yeah, that happened. I hope you've enjoyed the story so far. Can't wait to wrap this up and give you the ending! _


	5. Chapter 5

_Don't hate me guys, but I'm just now able to post this last chapter. A lot of life happenings have been going on. Car trouble, house trouble. You know, the usual. I really took my time with this one, because it was hard and I didn't want to give you lazy writing. I hope it ends up being worth the wait._

_Also it just occurred to me the other that not only are Roy and I the same age, but for only a few more months! He was always my favorite character, so that was a super fun (and depressing) realization ;)_

_Anywho, please enjoy the final installment of A Single Spark!_

* * *

The young, blond alchemist opened his eyes in a panic. The white walls surrounding him were all too familiar to that awful place he barely escaped from. That and the cold, hard chair he sat in which threatened to trap him there. His breath quickened for a brief moment as he squirmed in his seat, but he soon realized his limbs could move freely. He glanced down to examine the white bandages across his left arm and his auto-mail that was safely returned on his right. His foot had been wrapped up as well, but he refused to keep his boot off while it healed. Sitting up straight, he closed his eyes and sighed deeply, reminding himself where he was.

_Hospital. _

Right, Elias was dead, and he was at the hospital now. Of course his wounds weren't the reason he was currently sitting in a recovery room dozing off. Those had been taken care of a long time ago. The reason he was still here was because of the man lying in the bed in front of him. The man who almost died taking a bullet for him.

By some miracle, the bullet just missed his heart and any major arteries; but It had been a long, twenty hours of surgery, recovery and -mostly- waiting. The majority of that time Ed kept bracing himself for the news that they couldn't save him, but somehow Roy pulled through. Which is why he now sat by his bedside, anxiously waiting for him to wake up. The doctor said it could be in the next few minutes or the next few hours, so he decided he would stay, because Roy had already given too much just to wake up without him there. It wasn't easy convincing Hawkeye to let them be alone, but after everything that had happened between them, she eventually respected his wishes. Not without assuring him though that she'd be right outside the door should anything happen.

Now that he was fully awake, he began to notice how cold he had gotten from sitting so still. He normally wore plenty of layers, but since most of his clothes had been ruined, he was stuck wearing an old T-shirt and pants. He glanced down next to him at the bloody military jacket that he had somehow managed to hold onto. He wasn't really sure why he still had it. It was pretty torn up on the left sleeve with his blood stained on it. But for the most part it was still wearable, and currently all he had, so he carefully threw it over his shoulders.

Finally warm enough, he was just about to doze off again when the stirring of his superior caught his attention. The man seemed to be wrestling with himself to wake up, and Ed wondered if he might be dreaming. Though considering all he had just been through, Ed was more worried he might be having a nightmare.

And then, without even meaning to, he reached out to touch the man's arm. The contact seemed to soothe his superior as his body relaxed and he started to wake up.

"Roy?"

The man's eyes shot open suddenly and Ed quickly withdrew his hand. He felt like he was glued to his seat as he silently watched the man take in his surroundings. His onyx eyes scanned the room until they finally fell on Ed, seeming to confirm the voice he thought he heard. He furrowed his brow at the boy, as if confused to see him.

"Ed?"

The boy nodded as he swallowed nervously. "I-I'm here."

Apparently that wasn't a very satisfying answer to Roy as a look of disappointment settled across his face. He turned his head to look back up at the ceiling, placing an arm over his eyes.

"Please don't tell me you're dead too."

_What? _

Ed had to admit that was no where close to the reaction he was expecting from the man after all they had just been through. He thought it would be something more along the lines of relief, or perhaps he would even start yelling at him, but definitely not this.

Did his superior honestly think he wasn't going to survive?

"I'm not dead." He assured. "Neither are you."

"I'm not?" Roy removed the arm to look at his subordinate once again.

"You're at the hospital."

And finally everything seemed to click for the both of them. Roy, understanding that he was actually alive after getting shot in the chest; and Ed, realizing that his superior had truly intended to sacrifice himself for him.

They both sat in silence after that. Roy clearly needed a minute to clear his head after everything he'd been through, and Ed still needed to find a way to say what he'd been waiting all this time to tell him. But really, where was he supposed to start? The man had done a little bit more than just come to his rescue. He literally saved his life. Was actually willing to die so that he could live. Who does that? Ed didn't know of anyone in his life that would do something so reckless, except for maybe his brother. But he wouldn't have let Al get away with it. A situation like this was never supposed to happen.

Just what was Roy thinking?

_I don't understand why he would do something like that for me, Al. _

Ed recalled his conversation with Alphonse while they waited to hear news of the Colonel. He had begged his little brother for answers as he dealt with the shock over what Roy had done for him.

_I think you do know the answer, brother. You just need to hear it from him. _

But staring at his superior now, he still wasn't sure he knew the answer. He only knew that Al was right. He did need to hear it from him.

"Why'd you do it!"

Ed blurted out the question he so desperately needed answered. There were so many things he needed to apologize for. So many words left unsaid on his part, but right now he had to know why the colonel would do something so stupid.

To his surprise, the man just gave him a blank stare, as if the question made no sense.

"What?"

"Idiot." The boy jumped up in frustration and began to pace. "You pretend to be all angry and then go and throw yourself in front of a bullet for me. Don't ever do that again, you hear me?"

"Oh." The older alchemist blinked with understanding. "Yeah that wasn't fake, Ed. I was furious."

He attempted to sit up, but wasn't quite ready for the pain that came with moving suddenly. Ed heard him grunt and ran over quickly to help. Once comfortable, Roy made sure to look his subordinate right in the eye. "But that doesn't mean I would ever abandon you."

Now it was Ed's turn to be confused. His superior wasn't making any sense.

"I thought you hated me."

Or perhaps Roy just didn't want his youngest protégée to die on his watch. Perhaps he just needed to clear his conscience.

"He was going to kill you, Ed. I couldn't let that happen."

Once again, Roy's answer didn't really clear up much of anything. Apparently it was becoming a recurring thing for the young alchemist to be confused by his superior. Did the man really care about him or not? Because you don't refuse to speak to someone that you'd also be willing to give your life for. Or do you? All he knew for sure was that he didn't need someone else' death on his conscience. Not after Nina.

"Look, you don't do that for me, okay? No one does." The blond plopped himself back down in his seat with his arms crossed. He glanced up at the older alchemist, who had his own arms crossed, giving him a similar look of defiance.

"Well, it's a little too late for that, Ed. Because I did. And I would do it again in a heartbeat if it meant saving your life."

"I don't need people getting hurt because of me! Hasn't everyone suffered enough from my mistakes?"

Roy couldn't help but roll his eyes at how dramatic his subordinate was being. "I've been combat trained, you know. In the wake of taking a bullet, they do teach on how to avoid a major artery. Well, they teach techniques on how to try. The body can only be so fast after all. But hey, looks like I did a pretty good job this time, didn't I?"

"You thought you were going to die." The blond deadpanned.

"Well then, good thing this was one plan of mine that didn't work out."

"Stop joking Roy. It isn't funny! None of this is!"

Ed put his head in his hands for a moment as he tried desperately to understand.

"You...you sacrificed yourself for me after all those horrible things I said to you...after the way I treated you.."

Roy inhaled slowly and took a deep breath before signaling for the boy to come over. "I could never hate you, even though you really push my buttons sometimes." Once Ed got close enough, he placed a hand on his shoulders. "But I would never let anything happen to you."

The Fullmetal Alchemist didn't know what to think. He could feel that familiar wetness in his eyes once more, hating how easy it was becoming to bring him to tears. He let out a shaky sigh, finally knowing what needed to be said.

"I really owe you an apology, Colonel."

The man just stared at him intently, not even reacting to the statement like Ed thought he would. He could feel his anxiety returning- something he had come to know all too well lately- but he pushed through it, knowing this was his chance to make things right.

"Look, I'm sorry for—"

"Where did you get that?"

The man suddenly pointed a finger at him, catching the blond off guard.

"What?"

Not only was Ed confused, but a little annoyed now as well. Roy's sudden fascination with his attire made it a little difficult for him to try and atone for his mistakes.

That is, until he became aware of what Roy was pointing at exactly.

He glanced over at his shoulders where the blue jacket was still draped over them. The same blue military jacket Roy was supposed to give him. Because they both knew he was too small to be wearing one that was already made. Roy would have to know it was his.

_Crap... _

He wasn't even thinking when he put it back on earlier. The blond cursed quietly, knowing he literally set himself up for the embarrassment that now flooded him. His cheeks turned pink as he stared at the floor.

"I, uh, found it...in your office." He pulled the note out of his pocket and handed it to Roy. "Here."

Clearly still in shock, the older alchemist slowly reached out to grab it.

"You...went snooping through my trash?"

Ed felt even more like an idiot as he coward with shame. "Sorry."

But something behind Roy's eyes sparked as he suddenly burst out laughing, causing Ed to nearly jump in surprise. The movement was clearly causing him pain, as evident by the hand clenching his chest, but he seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself at the same time.

"How desperate were you?" The man teased between breaths.

Ed hadn't seen his superior smile like that since this whole thing started. All he could imagine was that cold, dark stare and empty eyes, and there was really nothing more terrifying than seeing the man he trusted look at him that way. It was one look of Roy's he had never seen before, and honestly, hoped to never see again. In a way it was relieving, to see his superior look so happy, but there was still so much he had to fix before he could even think about offering a smile in return.

Roy either ignored or just didn't notice the boy's reservations as he continued to be entertained by the whole ordeal. Technically speaking, this was Ed's best case scenario. Before, he had been so worried over how the man would react to seeing the coat on him, that he really couldn't complain to find it was met with amusement instead of anger.

Even still, he knew he wasn't worthy of holding onto it any longer, no matter how weirdly comforting it was to have it.

He shrugged off the coat, offering it to the older alchemist. "You should have it back. I know I don't deserve it."

Roy's smile faded as he reached back out to take the coat, eyes darting back and forth between the blood stains and his subordinate.

"Sorry it's ruined..." Ed added regretfully.

His superior examined the material once more before setting it down beside him and leaning his head back against the pillow.

"Let's be honest, you were never gonna wear it anyway. It was a stupid gift."

"What? No, It wasn't that!" The young alchemist threw his arms up in surrender as a desperate plea to smooth things over. "I loved it, I just…I didn't mean to ruin it I swear!" Seeing the defeat in Roy's eyes had him feeling more guilty than ever as he scrambled to find the right words; but his superior merely glanced over at him with a raised eye brow, silently challenging the sincerity of them.

"...Fine." Ed finally said, slumping his shoulders. "I still think the military uniform is stupid."

The look he received in turn was similar to that of an 'I thought so.'

"But I still appreciated it…and it was kinda comfy too."

He was technically telling the truth, even if it was just a feeble attempt to make Roy feel better. Uniform or not, it had grown on him quite a bit in the short amount of time he had it, and he really did feel terrible about ruining it.

"Uh huh, sure..."

"Actually…" The blond walked closer to Roy's bed and picked up the piece of paper lying next to him. "It wasn't the jacket that surprised me as much as the note."

Roy eyed him suspiciously once more as the boy continued.

"Did you really mean what you wrote in here?"

As if the answer should have already been obvious, the man crossed his arms in an offended-like manner. "What on earth are you talking about? Of course I did."

"But I—"

"You are more than just some subordinate of mine. You're family. When are you going to accept that and let me in?"

"Because I don't understand why you would feel this way about me!"

As Ed stood there, glaring at his superior with wet eyes, Roy could no longer see fire behind those golden orbs. In its place was a sadness and frustration, yet it wasn't directed at him. Ed was angry with himself.

"Don't you get it, Colonel? I've screwed up too much. I don't even know why my own brother sticks around after everything I've done to him."

He bit his lip to keep his mouth from trembling. All those emotions he had become so good at hiding were coming up faster than he could process. And all he could do was stand there and pour them out to the man in front of him like a fool.

He heard Roy clear his throat, shifting in his bed a little.

"Ed, look at me."

The blond wiped his eyes before glancing back up at the man.

"You, me...everyone. We're all a bunch of screw ups. We can't possibly know the right thing to do every time. But we're trying. Trying to better ourselves and make the world a better place. That's what matters."

But Ed still wasn't convinced it was enough. After all, he and his brother wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for him. Every bad thing that happened in his life seemed to be because of himself. He never listened when others warned him against something and he always paid the price. Or caused someone else to have to pay it.

Like his brother.

"Alphonse knows that too." Roy added.

"...Maybe." He responded finally. "But you don't want to get too close. I'll just end up hurting you too."

The older alchemist snorted. "Yeah well, you kinda already did."

Ed snapped his eyes back to Roy, ready to defend himself. "But—!"

"But guess what?" The man cut in. "I'm still here. Because like I've told you, we're a team. That makes you family no matter what. And sometimes family fight and drive each other crazy. But they're always there for you, even when you don't think you need or want it. That's a promise, Ed."

The alchemist was unable to respond, turning his face away to try and hide the tears. He wanted to believe what Roy was saying, but that was extremely difficult when all he had ever known was disappointment. His own father couldn't stick around long enough to teach him anything useful in life. His mother gone much too soon. How could he trust that this person before him, who just happened to be the one to find him that day so many years ago, could actually love him like a father would?

_Like a father should. _

He was tempted to walk away. Leave on a high note before he screwed things up again.

But Roy reached a hand out to him instead.

"Come here."

There was a softness to his voice Ed had never heard before. Something that didn't sound like it should be coming from the alchemist lying before him.

"W-What are you—"

But before Ed could finish, Roy grabbed him by the hand and pulled him into an embrace. It caught him so off guard that he had to remind himself to breathe as he felt those strong arms wrap around him.

"Don't you ever think I wouldn't come for you if you were in trouble." The man whispered as he squeezed a little tighter.

The young alchemist just stood there, dumbfounded at his superiors words. His instincts were screaming at him to run, but his heart had never felt so full. He tried to fight it. Tried to convince himself that this wasn't real, but he just couldn't seem to stop himself from wrapping his own arms around the man after a few moments.

For so long, Alphonse had been his only physical connection to this world. Even the armored body he carried around didn't stop Ed from running to his little brother whenever he truly needed comfort. But this was the first time in a long time that anyone held onto him like this, and even though he never dreamt in a million years he'd find himself clinging to his superior this way, he was completely content in this moment with him.

Roy finally released his grip, letting Ed step back a little but still keeping their faces inches apart. "The world would be a somber place without you, kid." He smiled as he ruffled the blond's hair.

And for the first time in a long while, the Fulmetal Alchemist had a genuine smile on his face. It was nice to know it didn't have to be just he and Al anymore. That he really did find a family here. It was like having a second home, or a home at all for that matter. Because no matter which way he went, he had people there who cared about him. People he could count on.

He watched as Roy shifted uncomfortably, no doubt in pain from squeezing his subordinate moments ago. Even though he had clearly forgiven him, his wound still served as a reminder that the boy hadn't atoned for all his mistakes just yet.

"I really am sorry for those things I said in your office."

He made sure to look Roy straight in the eye, as painful as it was. Under normal circumstances, Ed was not one to apologize. He rather do just about anything else than admit his faults. But if he really did want to make things right, it was time he started owning up.

"Oh don't worry," Roy smirked. "Im positive I'll find ways to get you back."

The blond just rolled his eyes in response.

"Besides," Roy's smile faded as he breathed out deeply, leaning his head back again. "I really cant blame you for calling me a monster after everything I did in Ishvall…"

"What? N-No I really didn't mean to—" The blond shook his head in frustration, berating himself for ever saying something like that in the first place. "Look, a monster wouldn't take a bullet for someone who pretty much deserved it after everything I did. A monster wouldn't keep a secret about my brother that could get him fired. Okay? I was the monster in this situation."

It was now Roy who didn't know how to respond as he soaked in the words of his subordinate. After the war, the military declared him a hero, but he knew he was nothing more than a murderer in that regard. People often liked to remind him of that too, so it was shocking to hear someone calling themselves the monster instead of him.

But he had made his peace with that a long time ago, even if he did enjoy hearing the sentiment from Ed, who was nothing like him no matter what he believed.

"You're not a monster…" The man stated quietly.

He watched as the boy slumped back down in his seat. "Sometimes I don't even know what I'm still doing here. I mean, do you really think I'm capable of helping Al get his body back?"

The statement took Roy back for a second. It was not like the young alchemist to sound so unsure of himself. To ask for reassurance on something he had already determined to do a long time ago. It was similar to how he felt when he came back from the war. How could he live a normal life after all the bloodshed he caused? For months he would lie awake at night, too scared to sleep. Eventually the nightmares became so bad that he wanted to end it all, and if it hadn't of been for Maes, he probably would have done just that. Having his best friend as a support system is the only thing that kept him going on days when he just wanted to give up. He needed someone to believe in him when he couldn't believe in himself.

And Maybe that's what Ed needed right now too.

"I'll give you some advice Hughes gave me after the war." It was hard saying that name out loud, after everything that happened, but he knew he wanted to help Ed the same way his friend helped him. "He said second chances don't come to those who sit around waiting for redemption. It's something you have to take and prove to yourself first. That's what makes you worthy of them."

Ed just blinked slowly as he listened.

"So that's what I've been doing every day sense. And I think you know you've been doing the same thing."

"I guess you're right." The blond replied with a half smile.

"Besides," The man continued "If anyone could pull off something as crazy as what you're trying to do, it's gonna take a stubborn, hot-headed alchemist like yourself to do it."

Ed let out a snort, admiring the confidence his superior had in him. It meant more to him than he could ever express, especially since Roy had been the very first person to believe in him in the first place. He knew now more than ever that he would find a way to help his brother, and he had a whole team of people backing him up along the way. Most of all his superior, who he was beginning to realize wasn't all that different from him in the first place. Just like himself, all Roy had been trying to do was atone for his own mistakes.

_I guess we both have our demons_

"Hey." The raven-haired man waved a hand in his face, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Try not to be so hard on yourself, okay?"

Ed nodded in response. He couldn't make the man any promises, but he'd certainly try to.

"Now, go home with your brother and have fun. And don't even think for one second that you don't deserve it. That's an order."

"Yeah yeah, whatever."

"I'm serious. I'm going to pester you about it as soon as you get back so you better do as I say."

The blond gave a sarcastic salute and turned toward the door. Once open, he stopped just shy of threshold to glance back at his superior.

"Thanks, Roy. You know, for um…"

"Don't mention it, kid." The older alchemist smiled.

He already knew what Ed was trying to say, and it made him proud to see just how much his youngest subordinate had grown. Maybe there was something special about the kid after all. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on, but could feel deep within him. It was a feeling he hoped would never go away.

Just as Ed was about to make his final exit, the first lieutenant brushed past him into the small room. She was quiet as she walked over to Roy, carrying herself with every bit of confidence she usually carried.

Except for the fact that her superior had known her long enough to catch the utter relief she hid behind her brown eyes.

"Good to see you awake, sir." She smiled softly at him.

"It's good to be awake." He responded sarcastically, though neither of his subordinates seemed to find it funny. "Ed was actually just on his way out, so I could use the company."

She made her way over to the empty chair and took her place beside Roy. The boy gave her a small wave of goodbye before turning back to his superior one last time.

"See ya around, Colonel."

With a genuine smile on his face, Roy nodded in return; and just like that, the alchemist was gone. Even while being stuck in a hospital with a bullet wound in his chest, he had never felt more alive. Seeing Ed's resolve gave him new purpose as well, and he was more confident than ever that they would both achieve their goals someday.

Remembering he wasn't alone, he glanced over at Riza in hopes that she hadn't caught the cheesy grin on his face. The look she was giving him emanated her very essence as she folded her arms and crossed her legs.

"So." She began with a smirk "Just your subordinate? Nothing more?"

"Don't start with me." The man ordered.

* * *

As Edward Elric ran down the hallway to where his brother patiently waited for him, he couldn't help but smile. He'd never want to admit it out loud, but he learned a valuable lesson through all of this. Even though there were a lot of people who were just out to get him, there were also a lot of people out there supporting him, believing in him. They had faith that he could do exactly what he set out to do, and it was time he had the same faith too. For himself, his brother, and especially Roy, who he had been completely wrong about this whole time. For so long he had been judging the Flame Alchemist's character based on his outward appearance that he never even bothered to get to know the person on the inside. A person who was strong but kind, passionate but protective. Someone who would put their own life on the line to help another.

Someone he was happy to have in his life.

Maybe his superior wasn't so complicated after all. Maybe they didn't have to ignite a fire every time they were together.

Just a Single Spark would do.

* * *

_Did you see what I did there? *^_^*_

_So I really hope you guys loved it. This was such a fun and challenging story to write, and I really appreciate your kinds words along the way. I hope you'll stick around, because I'm not done yet! My next goal is going to be a one-shot halloween story, because its my favorite holiday and I'm weird like that. I'll still be slowly working on other stories that I've started, so hopefully one day I can share them with you as well._

_Also feel free to PM me anytime. I love chatting with fellow FMA lovers!_

_Till next time!_


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